The Battle City Report
by cdcase
Summary: Luna and Leo have a history project due! So, they decide to cover a duel of the Battle City Finals. Luckily, their modern tech lets them stand in on the action as if they were there witnessing every monster, trap, spell, and pun of the duel! R&R Please!
1. Joey vs Odion Pt 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.

Summary: Luna and Leo are assigned a school history project. What do they choose to do the project on? Well, since they love Duel Monsters so much, they decided to write about the Battle City Finals! Though technology, they are able to stand in on the actual duels, witnessing every monster, spell, trap, and pun uttered by the original show's duelists!

TLTTLTLTTLTLTL

_Welcome to the Neo Domino City Library,_spoke an electronic yet distinctly feminine voice.

"Yeah, yeah, lady," Leo scoffed, waving his hand as if swatting away the disembodied speaker. Needless to say, he did not wish to spending his Saturday at the Neo Domino City Library.

He was just glad that unlike the stories of the olden-day libraries, where it smelled like rotting paper, the new library was completely digital. It was a total electronic database filled with the highest engineered self-checking reserve system. Neon blue lines and shiny, reflective metal was the theme of the modern library, like much of the city. However, it still retained potted fern like plants or palms in corners that used to be native to the area.

"Leo!" Luna scolded, popping up from behind a chrome terminal. "Over here!" She waved at her twin excitedly.

Why was she so excited to start working on a school project? Leo shrugged and followed his sister. Apparently, she had found an empty data access point, where they would be able to browse the endless information of cyberspace. The room was a basically a private, well-sized closet. Utilizing and accessing the data, however, transported the partisans into a simulated reality where it was most convenient to retrieve and process information.

The door readily slid closed behind Leo, making him jump a bit. Sometimes, the technology was just _too_fast for his taste.

_Input Search Inquiry,_the computer lady insisted. The walls disappeared, and the chamber was illuminated in a soft light.

"Uh…" Leo was at a loss for words. "Ask my sister."

Luna rolled her eyes, but giggled. "I would like to view the Battle City Tournament Archives…please," she added as an afterthought.

Instantly, the blue, bolded letters of the famous historical tournament were juxtaposed against the logo of the historically known Kaiba Corporation. They shimmered there in space in front of the twins for a second before fading into a menu.

"We're looking for a log of the duels," Luna told Leo.

"What for?"

"The project, dum-dum!" she quipped. "And we're going to do a report on one of the duels."

"Like that hasn't been done before," Leo contented. "But I'm just glad the teacher let us write one about dueling…even if it is a _history_project."

"We can probably learn a lot from this, actually," Luna's eyes sparkled.

"Actually, I heard that the memory encoding of these duels is really sketchy," Leo pointed out.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, sometimes the simulation recording go fuzzy around some duel monsters or actual _people_," he explained, scratching the back of his neck. "And that some duels are completely _black."_

"Well, we could only reconstruct with our 3-D simulation what they recorded back then. And back then was a _looonnng_time ago. Besides, this tournament was completely full of pot holes anyway," Luna explained. "_I've_heard that four of the finalists were actually supposed to be a part of the tournament in the first place."

"I thought it was five."

"Whatever. But we can find out the answer here if we stay a bit later," Luna smiled.

"Nevermind, let's just sit whichever duel we want to watch," Leo dismissed.

_Battle City,_the computer said.

The words echoed though Leo and Luna's minds like a sacred whisper.

This legendary tournament was a cardinal point in Duel Monster history. Not only was it the first to utilize the duel disk system, but their battles were the first to involve the Egyptian God cards. Of course, it was the duelist that made the win, and the finalists during the tournament were no joke.

Looking though the general information of the archives of the tournament revealed how it was initially set up. First, only some duelists of the time were even qualified to participate in the tournament. From that moment on, they needed for duel for six locator cards that would eventually reveal the location of the finals.

Running though the list of registered duelists and the finalists, only half of the eight had actually been registered. Ishizu Ishtar somehow joined the finals undetected. Odion Ishtar and Marik Ishtar joined under fake names. Joey Wheeler somehow entered the tournament without permission, yet was allowed to undertake the tournament. Even more baffling was the fact that a duelist named Ryou Bakura had apparently stolen another participant's duel disk, yet somehow was let into the finals.

_Must have been some crazy times…_

Having attended for a period at Duel Academy, Leo and Luna knew the general info about the tournament. But that was just the basics. For their report, they needed more _raw_information, more digging into the records of the tournament.

Luna and Leo could find book and books about this tournament. If they wanted to read about some professional analyst's thoughts about the duels, they could have; however, they wanted to make observations from the _primary source._

And that meant watching the duels. Good thing is, modern technology just came out with a 3-D rendition of the duel to take place around the observers. In effect, Leo and Luna would be sitting on the sidelines like the other spectators.

"Kaiba's legacy on technology is amazing, isn't it?" Leo almost sighed.

Knowing her twin's thoughts, she just smiled and continued browsing though the files of the tournament. Eventually, she came to a folder that read_Battle City Finals Record-Simulation._

"Found it!" she exclaimed, and lightly waved her finger over the word.

Then the computer voice announced, _Error, Code 567483: Authorization Required._

"What?" she asked the computer, confused.

Leo only bit his lip.

Luna tried again, failed to access the folder, and admitted, "It's not working." She was disappointed.

"Luna, think about it," Leo comforted. "We've _read_about these—they're legendary. We already know who won. But do you remember actually viewing_any_recording, even just in plain video, of these duels?"

Luna's eyebrows furrowed. "You don't think that they were intentionally blocked, do you?"

Leo nodded. He then offered her a pat on the back and a wide grin. "Just leave it to me—I'll hack us into this system."

And, like everyone on the planet, he activated his duel disk on his arm.

"Leo! What are you—"

"I summon Jinzo!" he yelled, placing a card face up on his duel disk.

Immediately, a nearly nine feet tall hologram appeared before the two twins. Luna was startled for a moment, but then regained her composure. She knew where this was going. Luna especially held a strong connection to the spirits of the duel monster, and that relationship was defaulted, if a bit dimmed down to, her twin brother.

Leo smirked, "Alright, Jinzo! Take it away!"

The bipedal creature that looked like a technologically-adept sorcerer nodded. His three goggled eyes glowed with a strong, red light before beaming at the suspended screen. Zero's and one's of "computer language" drifted across the screen, their code being transcribed, translated, and rewritten. Then, the card stopped, and he turned back to Leo.

"Thanks, man," Leo said gratefully, to which Jinzo simply faded away into crude pixels. Leo turned to Luna, giving a victory sign, "Take it away, Sis!"

"Sure thing!" she cheered, looking at the new list. "Hm…now which duel do we want to view?"

"How about the one with that one Egyptian God Card… 'Ra' or something like that—oh yeah: the Winged Dragon of Ra!" he finally remembered.

"Which duel was that?"

"You mean _you_don't remember?" he looked at his sister skeptically. She only gave an embarrassed look back. "Oh, well…I don't remember the specifics, either…but I think that one of the Ra's was fake."

"Yeah, that too. But which duel had the real one?" she repeated her question.

"I don't know. Well, I do remember it was one of the Ishtars. But three contestants have that last name!" Leo stared at the screen. "Why don't we just start with that one right there—the second duel of the finals."

"Odion Ishtar vs. Joey Wheeler? Okay, here goes," she pressed her finger over the title. "If it's not in this duel, we can just go back and view the others."

Leo nodded.

The computer lady announced, _Battle City Final Round Two—Odion Ishtar vs. Joey Wheeler._

The twins' surrounding changed as the holograms filled the room. The technology was absolutely spectacular. One moment they were in a closet-sized library terminal, the next they were over a mile in the air!

"Whoa!" Leo exclaimed. He shivered, feeling the wind on his bare arms.

"Yeah," Luna agreed, rubbing hers and brushing hair out of her face.

"Look at the city! This must have been what Neo Domino City—I mean Domino City—was like before! It's amazing!" Leo shouted, running towards the railings. Luna caught up behind him.

"This is so neat—it's like we're living the moment," she breathed. They braced as the blimp flew though a cloud.

"Oh, hey look—people!" Leo pointed. "But wait…I thought there were eight finalists. There's a couple more."

Luna looked over at the figures emerging from an elevator. "Well, I assume that one's the announcer," she said nodding towards an older, official looking man in a black suit and tie and sunglasses. "And that must be"—she paused to gasp as a tall brown haired man sporting a long white trench coat stepped on deck— "_the_Seto Kaiba."

"Oh boy," Leo rolled his eyes. "I heard he was a jerk. Why do you have a crush on him?"

"You just don't get it!" she huffed, tracing Kaiba Corportation's CEO to one side of the blimp. A small, long black haired boy followed in tow. "The one dressed like Carly must be Mokuba Kaiba, his younger brother."

"Hey, I recognize that one!" Leo yelled excitedly as a shorter kid with a very pointy hairstyle emerged with a larger group of people off the elevator. He then whispered reverently, "That's the King-of-Games: Yugi Moto."

As avid duelists and raised in a society completely obsessed with the now professional sporting game, they could not help but stare in silence and awe at his royal pointy-hair-and-bondage-ness.

"He's…shorter than I thought he'd be," Leo eventually spoke.

"Yeah…and not as intimidating," Luna concurred. "But…the look in his eyes is very sure, very defiant—like he _knows_what he has to do. Yusei's sort of has that look, you know?"

Shaking his head Leo then demanded, "Computer, pause. Name individuals."

Luna added, "Please."

The holograms paused, and glowing names appeared next to the people on the deck. "Okay, so this is Mai Valentine—she's a finalist." A taller, gorgeous woman with long blonde hair was looking up at Joey, her face that of a seasoned competitor with a soft heart.

Next they came upon a very handsome, slender teenager with black hair and bright green eyes. His style was most definitely punk, but for some reason he gave the impression off that he was good at math. "This is Duke Devlin—not a competitor, but I think he was later employed by Industrial Illusions," Leo then said.

"Tristan Taylor," Luna read aloud the name above a taller guy. He looked like a sophisticated delinquent, like he should be working for the mafia—his hairs at least reminded Luna of the yakuza bosses' style. Whatever the case, he didn't seem like fighting with _cards_was his style.

"Hey, this girl is Serenity Wheeler," Leo read. The girl seemed a bit younger than the others, but was very pretty in all her youth. The most remarkable aspect was her gorgeous grey eyes full of hope.

"And this one's Tea Gardner," Luna said, staring at a teenage girl with short brown hair. The young woman looked distressed at the moment, and gave off a very caring feeling.

"And that must be the real Marik Ishatar," Leo said, nodding to the tan young man standing behind them. He had strange face markings extending from his eyes, and vibrant purple eyes. "He faced Yugi in the finals, right?"

Luna nodded. "Over there on the platform are Joey Wheeler and Odion Ishtar—I think that's that where they stand to duel each other," Luna said.

Joey Wheeler was a bright-looking, blonde teen who almost gave off a delinquent-like vibe. He was glowering at Odion for the moment, his face filled with contempt at mistrust. Odion, in turn, was a very buff and tall man with darker skin. On the left side of his face was some intricate tattoo of symbols neither twin could read.

"Hm, but I'm pretty sure that two of the contestants aren't up here," Luna tallied up all the people on the deck.

"Who cares? Let's watch," Leo turned to look at the dueling platform.

"Hel-lo! We're writing a report, here!" Luna reminded. "Computer Lady, reveal a list of the contests' names not on this deck."

The words _Ishizu Ishtar_and _Ryou Bakura_shimmered into view.

"Huh, you'd think they'd want to watch," Leo pointed out.

"Well, it says next to the Bakura guy's name that he was already eliminated. I don't know about Ms. Ishtar, though," Luna rubbed her chin.

"And you'd think a person even if they lost a battle would want to see the rest of the finals," Leo said. "But let's just watch this thing!"

"…Should I get popcorn?" Luna asked slyly, waving the names away.

"Hey!" Leo nudged her playfully. "Let's sit with the spectators hanging around the King of Games."

"Computer, resume play!" Luna cried. "Please." They hurried next to the audience, standing a bit beside Mai Valentine.

The announcer readily exclaimed for the spectators to hear, raising his arm into the air, "Alright! Both duelists will now take their places in the arena. Elevate the field!"

Tristan, the viewer with a triangular-styled brown hair do cheered, "C'mon, Joey!"

The announcer took no notice. "The winner of this duel will advance to the next round of the Battle City Finals; the loser will be dismissed," he explained. "Alright, gentlemen: it's time to begin, so if you'll please take your places on either end of the playing field, we can get this duel underway."

The duelers exchanged their decks, proceeding to shuffle. Joey, a blonde haired teen seemed to be intensely glaring at his opponent. The said opponent—Odion Ishtar—only showed a frown, even as Joey continually and excessively shuffled his deck.

"Uh…gentlemen?" the announcer urged.

Odion crossed his arms, done shuffling his deck. Now he was just waiting to swap them back.

"Yeah!" Tristan beside the twins shouted. "Show tattoo-face what dueling's all about, Joey!"  
"Wow—Joey looks really fired up to duel Marik!" the King of Games remarked.

"Whoa, he really _does_sound like a kid!" Leo smiled.

"Leo, I think the King is actually just in high school," Luna reminded.

"Of course when Joey gets really steamed, he tends to shoot his mouth off," Tristan replied to Yugi. "But he better watch what he says to this guy—Marik's mean enough without Joey's lip."

"Why do they keep on calling Odion 'Marik'?" Leo asked.

"I can't remember right now…but it's on the tip of my tongue," Luna murmured.

Meanwhile, Joey continued shuffling Odion's deck.

Serenity said softly, "I hope that Joey's okay…"

"Serenity, I almost forgot that this is your first time seeing you brother's duel, isn't it?" Tea asked.

"That's right."

Tea smiled, looking up at the two duelists, "Well, I'm sure with you here cheering him on, there's no way he'll lose."

The announcer, apparently fed up with the needless shuffling, commanded, "Let's _go!_You've shuffled enough cards for ten duels. Now both of you take your positions."

"Sister, this…is really funny…and and duel hasn't even started yet," Leo said, barely containing his snicker at the shuffling of cards.

"Well, they didn't have machines to shuffle their decks back then," Luna said. "And _you_don't even know how to shuffle a deck anyways!"

"Hey!"

Luna, realizing that she would have to be the serious one, tried to hide her own smile, "Don't forget that we're here to get information."

Finally, Joey stopped shuffling, and quickly swapped back decks with Odion. They walked to their respective dueling areas.

Joey extended his pointer finger dramatically at Odion. "Yo! Listen up you bald headed freak, according to my math—you're gonna be washed up in all nine turns if you can count!"

Duke asked, "Where'd he come up nine?"

Tristan replied, "With Joey, you don't ask."

"Okay, I'm confused," Luna said.

"Nine turns, I guess? But I thought there wasn't a limit," Leo thought aloud.

Clasping her hands together, Serenity admired, "My brother's awesome! He's got this whole duel calculated in his head already!"

"That's right, Serenity, you just keep believing everything he says," Mai acknowledged sarcastically.

Up on the metallic dueling platform, Odion reached behind his long robe, drawing out a strange golden device. It was a scepter of some sort, with an Egyptian-style eye on its head. When it was revealed, Joey literally recoiled. Some of the spectators beside Leo and Luna also staggered in disgust.

Joey found his voice, "Point that thing somewhere else and duel like a man!"

Surprisingly, Odion hooked it back though his belt, "Very well."

"Look, Marik-," Joey shouted angrily, but stopped mid sentence. " Did you say 'very well'?" Apparently, he was confused at Odion's behavior.

"Luna, what was that thing?" Leo inquired.

She shrugged, "I don't remember."

"Should've paid attention in our history classes, huh?" Leo snickered.

"Maybe one of these people here will mention later on what that was. Until then, let's just pay attention," Luna hoped.

"Oh…well anyway, since Marik's right behind us," Leo said. "I guess this Odion guy was the contestant that entered under Marik's name."

"Yeah, right," Luna affirmed.

Joey then cried, "Let's do this Marik!"

"It's time to duel," Odion spoke the staple of the game as they placed their decks within their dueldisks. "And destroy you!"

"…And destroy you?" Leo bit his lip, containing laughter. "Man, this duel is going to be dramatic—I can just feel it!"

Luna fought an urge to roll her eyes, "Yeah, like _our_duels are anything different."

"Gentlemen, let the duel begin!" the referee called.

A great rush of wind swept over the playing field, ruffling out Odion's cloak. "Prepare for defeat!" he yelled.

Luna and Leo braced from the gust. The effects of the replay sure were well done.

"Don't count on it, Marik—I'm not scared of you!" Joey retorted, drawing his first card. "I'll start, ya freak."

On the sidelines, Tristan pumped his first into the air, "That's right! You da man, Joey!"

"Show this robed weirdo who's boss!" Mai shouted out.

Duke asked, "Hey, Yugi, did Joey ever take back his Red Eyes Black Dragon card?"

The small King of Game only shook his head.

"Whoa—the Red Eyes Black Dragon?" Leo's eyes went wide. "That card is super famous!"

"Not as famous as the Blue Eyes White Dragon," Luna said, her eyes darting to Kaiba on the other side of the deck.

"He'll be alright," Tristan reassured. "C'mon Joey, you've come this far, man—you can beat him!"

"Yeah, but I bet he's never faced an opponent as unpredictable as this guy," Duke said skeptically.

"Well, we've all seen the evil Marik's capable of," Yugi balanced, "and it's pretty obvious that he's not to be trusted.

"Joey's just gotta keep his cool," Tristan said.

"He sure had good friends," Luna grinned. "I bet they help him out with cheering." Leo only nodded in agreement.

"They're like his personal cheerleading squad," Leo said flatly. "But what do they mean about Marik being capable of 'evil'?"

Luna only shrugged. Though the duels were well known, not much information was known about the contestants of the Battle City Tournament. Sometimes, the whole fiasco could be a blatant mystery. What's more, many of the contestants would not talk about the finals afterwards. Furthermore, records showed that Kaiba had paid off the media a good sum of money to prevent any interviews or investigation into the matter.

So, then, why make such a 3D rendition of the duel for everyone (or at least the "Authorized Personal" ) to see? Leo and Luna could only push the question to the back of their heads as the battle commenced.

Joey on the stage started giggling in excitement, probably in anticipation of the duel. All of a sudden, another great gust blew through the stage. His cards were pushed right out of his hands.

"Oh no!" Luna inhaled a short breath.

Thankfully, Joey scrambled and successfully caught his cards, one he latched onto with his mouth.

"Hey, Joey! You might want to actually hold onto your cards for this duel!" Duke teased.

From the rest of the supports, including Leo and Luna, a feeling between relief and did-that-really-just-happen hovered in the air.

"You guys, he need support," prompted Serenity. "Nice catch there, big brother!"

Leo and Luna literally fell over at this antic. Her love and support for her brother seemed to blind her of his obvious goofiness. As siblings themselves, they glanced at each other.

"Is that how I'm like when you're in a though spot?" Leo asked.

"Um…"

Joey grinned, back in action, "Now then, where was I?"

"Acting like a fool," Odion answered.

"That's enough out of you, Marik, so check this out!" he placed a card on his disk in a sweeping motion. "Now, I summon Gierfried, the Iron Knight in attack mode!"

"Wow, that card is _ancient_," Leo marveled at the warrior. "Do you think we'll get to see the antique cards in these duels?"

"Yeah, for sure!" Luna assumed. "None of the Syncro-summoning had been developed at this point, nor the Elemental Heroes."

"Ah, now this is looking like a duel!" Tristan commended.

"And there's more where that came from!" Joey warned. "Now let's see what you got, though guy!"

Being Odion's turn now, he proceeded to draw his card.

"I'm waiting…" Joey said impatiently.

Placing a field spell card, Odion glared, "I'll play Temple of the King a card like none you've ever seen!"

The electronic sound effects switched to a rumbling noise as a great structure emerged behind Odion. It appeared to be an ancient alter of some sort, complete with massive columns and ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. A golden box sat at the top of its stairs, ominous and impressive in its design.

"What's going on?" Joey seemed unsettled. "What's the deal with that building, Marik?"

"The structure behind me is the ancient temple of the kings," Odion disclosed. "Within this 5000 year old sanctuary lie the greatest treasures of the kings of Egypt!"

Joey could only stare, "…And what does that big shack do?"

"Big shack?" Leo blinked, and then burst out laughing.

"To protect the king's treasure," Odion continued, "It limits the number of magic and trap card you can play in one turn."

Joey eyes widened in disbelief at the huge handicap just inflicted upon him, "Aw, man…"

"And in front of the temple, I'll lay two cards face down as an extra boundary of protection," he said as two face downs appeared on the field. He glanced back up at Joey and threatened, "And with this move, I end my turn. So try to attack me if you dare—you have no _idea_what danger lurks within these temple walls."

Tea said surprised, "Marik hasn't even summoned one monster!"

"I was thinking that same thing," Luna turned to Tea, but remembered she couldn't be heard by the holograms.

Tristan yelled, "Attack his life points!"

Duke jeered, "That's stupid."

"Oh, and why's that?" Tristan demanded.

"Because Marik probably wants him to attack so he can activate his face down cards to put a serious hurt on Joey," Duke enlightened. "It's way too risky, dummy."

Tristan frowned, "Good point."

Serenity called to her brother, "Everything alright, Joey?"

Tristan added, "You look pretty scared, dude!"

Joey, uncertain of how to interpret their support could only stutter, "Ehhhh.."

"What's the delay?" Odion challenged. "Don't you realize that no matter what you do you're finished, Mr. Wheeler? So make your move!"

Joey drew his card, and thought for a moment. "Say goodnight, Marik!" he finally yelled. "I summon Tiny guardian in attack mode! And that's all I'm gonna do for now, chrome-dome."

"Joey's gotta attack him sometime," Tristan said.

Serenity said hopefully, "I'm sure that my big brother has some kind of plan."

"Observe, you fool," Odion wasted no time commencing his turn. "I place two more cards face down on the field—and now my move is complete."

Yuugi did some math, "Now Marik's got four cards face down!"

"That spineless snake is just going to sit back and wait for Joey to attack him," Mai speculated. "When he does, Mariks'g gonna spring one of his traps. It's the oldest and whimpiest trick in the book."

"Alright, baldy. Take this!" Joey drew and placed another card on the field. "I summon Hayabusa Knight. It's time for me to demolish that ancient palace of yours!"

Odion looked the tiniest bit curious.

Joey inserted a card into a slot, "I play Giant Trunade!" A card-inflicted mini tornado swept to Odion's side of the field.

Mai cheered, "Yes! Marik will have nothing on the field to protect himself!"

"It looks like Joey might be the winner!" Yugi agreed.  
But, as the Trunade danced about Odion's cards, its effect did not work on the face down cards.

"WHHAATT…? Why did it stop? Your cards should've been history!" Joey asked in utter disbelief.

Mai asked the same thing, "What's going on?"

"Yeah, wouldn't we like to know," Leo nodded in agreement.

"Your Giant Trunade is no more," Odion gloated. "And your troubles have only just begun!"

"I don't get what just happened to my magic card," Joey seemed really shocked, like he was depending on this particular strategy. "It was supposed to get rid of every card you had on the field."

Yugi demanded an explanation, "What's the deal?"

"Yeah!" Leo and Luna agreed in unison, both glaring Odion.

"When you made the very foolish decision to activate your giant trunade, Mr. Wheeler," Odion reported, "you in turn triggered one of the most dangerous traps I placed on the field to protect myself.

Joey questioned hesitantly, "Is that so?"

"Yes, and now it's time to play the price for your mistake," Odion continued. "You see, with all my my traps cards in play, I knew you wouldn't attack me with a monster—you'd try to destroy my traps with a magic card."

"Oohhh," Joey balked in some sort of revelation. "So, you played a trap card that destroys magic cards?"

"But that's not all that it does. The trap you just triggered is about to devastate all of your monsters and an extremely large portion of your life points. So prepare to feel its wrath right now!" Odion revealed his face down card. "Judgement of Anubis! Never have you experienced a trap with a force such as this! Judgement of Anubis will now annihilate every monster you have on the field, and deduct half of their attack points from your life points."

"What?" Joey stammered. "No way!"

"Anubis, destroy!" Odion commanded, as a dark looking purple mist emerged from the trap card, "Building up your army of powerful monster was a grave miscalculation, because they're about to disappear with more than 2000 of your lifepoints."

Joey scowled, "Hey, you just wasted my best guys!"

"When you see the horrors that await you, that will be the last thing on your mind," Odion merely retorted.

"Now his life points are at 1900," Luna said. "I know he wins, but how?"

"Like I said, I don't remember," Leo replied.

"By thinking he had the duel won, he fell right into Marik's trap!" Tea agonized.

"That's right, Tea. Joey thought by not attacking with monsters, he was safe from Marik's traps," Yugi affirmed. "But some of the trickiest and most dangerous cards in Duel Monsters are trap cards. And Marik's field is full of 'em."

"Let's just hope that Joey learned his lesson because one mistake like that and he can kiss the finals goodbye," Mai assented. "And he's come too far to lose it all to a creep with a bad attitude—not to mention a bad hair do…more like a hair don't."

Leo laughed, "These past-time people are so _funny!_" Luna gave a smile as well.

"Marik is tough, but you still think Joey can win, right guys?" Serenity pondered aloud.

Tea gave a half promise, "Yeah, sure…"

"You think he can win—I _know_ he can, right Yuug?" Tristan looked to be confirmed.

Yugi nodded, his hairstyle not even moving with the motion. "Don't worry Serenity, Joey's been in tougher situation that this," he comforted. "He just needs a little support from us and he'll be crushing Marik in no time!"

"That guy must have some powerful magic and trap cards, to not play any monsters," Leo said to Luna.

"Mmm-hmm," Luna nodded. "I'm glad we're watching this—we can learn some things."

Serenity looked back to the stage, her eyes shining in hope for her brother, "C'mon Joey, you can do it!"

Tristan likewise reassured, "Yeah, hang in there, man!"

"Have you realized you can't win, or do you want more punishment, Mr. Wheeler?" Odion proposed.

Joey simply smirked. "Heh. I gotcha good. You may not realize this because your ponytail's tied too tight, but I fell into your little trap on purpose, Marik," which each word his spirit seemed to increase. "Yeah—that's the ticket. I was just testing ya to see if your dueling skills were better than your sense of style. An' it looks like—you pass my exam." He then pointed directly at Odion defiantly, "Now I'll kick my game up a notch and open up a big tub of duel-whip all over ya!"

"Wow, he just totally got Odion on that joke!" Leo laughed. "I like this Joey. He's killing me!"

Luna couldn't help but give off some laughter of her own. Joey was a very spirited character, that was for sure.

Tristan instantly looked unconvinced, if a bit amused, "Ookkay, he has got to be kidding me."

"I knew it!" Serenity kept up her cheer. "Joey had this planned the whole time!"

"Heh, that was quite the flaunt," Luna commented.

Joey, still pointing like accusing a murderer shouted, "Alright, Marik, enough standing around—let's finish this duel!"

Odion had nothing to say to his taunts. "You're in quite a rush to lose," he said as he drew his card. "Now watch as I place two more cards face down."

Joey stared dumbly, but seemed a bit distressed, "Again?"

"That ends my turn," Odion spoke calmly.

"I'm getting really tired of this," Joey told him. "Ya know they call this game Duel Monster because you're supposed ta fight your opponent with monsters cards—not spending the whole game hidin' behind your little trap cards like a coward."

"Yeah, why doesn't Odion just attack?" Leo said. "Otherwise, nothing's going to happen!"

"That's not part of his strategy," Luna replied, looking at Joey's opponent.

"If you can find me the rule that forbids me from playing trap cards I'll stop, Mr. Wheeler," Odion returned.

"That does it, Marik!" Joey growled. "I guess It's time me more to show you how this is supposed to be played—with monsters!" He drew a card. "So now I summon Alligator Swordsman in attack mode."

"I'm waiting," Odion said, annoyed. "I thought that you were going to show me you were supposed to play this game. Go on."

"I'm going to let you off easy, Marik, by holding off my attack and laying this card face down," Joey said after a moment. "Back to you, baldy. Okay! Let's go!"

Odion drew a card and said, "Actually, I choose to end my turn without making any move."

Joey, after a moment of shock drew his card and said, "Two can play at hat game, so I pass also!"

"Perhaps now I'll draw a card that's worth using," Odion stated flatly, reaching for the top of his deck. "No…this one won't do at all. I'll pass again."

"This can probably go on for ages," Leo complained.

"I dunno…it seems like Joey is a bit more hot-headed . He'll probably make a move soon," Luna guessed.

Joey verbally growled as he drew his card, "Alright—you asked for it!"

"Oh no!" Yugi cried aloud beside the twins.

"Hey, c'mon Joey, don't attack!" Mai warned. "That's exactly what he wants you to do!"

"Guess you were right," Leo told Luna.

"Alright… You're not gonna know what hit ya! Here it comes right now! I summon rocket warrior!" Joey seemed really fired up. "You asked for it! I don't care how many trap cards you got on the field 'cuz I didn't come to the finals to watch. I fought my way here to duel like a man and win this, Marik." He pointed at his monster on the field, "Now, rocket warrior—attack his life points directly! Seek and destroy!"

Yugi yelled, "Joey, this is a big mistake!"

"On this, I agree with Yugi," Luna said.

Right on cue, Odion revealed his face down card, "Activate trap card! Eye of Wdjat!" The card gave off a glow, and the Rocket Warrior now sported a glowing yellow Egyptian eyeball on its forehead. "Now that the eye of Wdjat appears on the Rocket Warrior it is now under my control—and I shall redirect its attack to one of your monsters!"

"No way!" Joey recoiled.

Odion shouted, "Rocket Warrior—attack his Alligator Swordsman!"

"Finally some action!" Leo cheered.

"I don't think that's gonna work—I gotta face down card, too," Joey remined. "Activate fairy box! Thanks to fairy box, Rocket Man's plan of attack has been short circuited. Time to play peek-a-boo!"

A sort of wack-a-mole contraption hid his Alligator Swordsman, but the monster popped in and out of the visual field in different holes.

Seeing the monster, Odion commanded, "Rocket Warrior—attack at once!"

The green tin moster exploded onto the contraption, leaving only some smoke behind. "So much for that," Odion gloated.

But right then and there, Alligator Sword's head popped up in an adjacent hole, unharmed.

"What? I missed!" Odion cried in disbelief.

"Ha-ha-heehh!" Joey jeered. "I guess ya haven't hung out in the arcade in a while, eh? I'm on to your little game, Marik, and I've found out how the weakness of your trap strategy."

Leo and Luna both raised their eyebrows, surprised.

"You don't even have one single monster card. Just a deck overloaded with trap card, Marik," Joey said triumphantly. "Talk about putting all your eggs in one basket—ya egg-head." (Once again, Leo laughed at Joey's comments.) "So once I clear the field of your trap cards, there'll be nothin' protecting your life points. That's why I'm Joey wheeler—Battle City Champion—and you're just some ugly bald freak wearing a cape, right?"

"This guy is too funny!" Leo clutched his stomach.

"All he's doing is making fun at his opponent," Luna disapproved.

"I know—but it's funny!"

"You can insult me all you want," Odion frowned. "But the truth is you've already fallen into another one of my traps."

At this Joey stopped laughing, "What? Whaddaya mean I've fallen into another trap?

"You're about to see what I mean, first hand," Odion laughed. "You see, while I may be short on monster, I possess a trap card that is both a trap and a monster."

"I think the barber clipped the brain when he was cutting some of your hair," Joey hypothesized.

At this Leo broke out into laughter once again.

"Prepare to witness the power of an extremely rare breed of cards that's known as a trap-monster!" Odion bellowed.

"But is there such a card?" Yugi questioned.

Mai shrugged, "Well, I've never heard of it."

"Trap-monsters? I don't know anyone with one of those, either," Luna said.

Leo regained his composure, wiping his eye. "They could have been banned. A lot of these cards are non-existent now," he pointed out.

"Not only do I possess a rare trap-monster card, but you activated it!" Odion repeated. "And now feel the rage of a card like none you've ever seen before!"

"It can't be!" Joey reacted. The field was filled with swirling, translucent purplish smoke that swirled around Odion's face down cards.

"It is! There's no escaping from Embodiment of Apophis," Odion revealed. "My card activates like a trap but attacks like a monster! I'd say that this card disproves your theory about my deck and its weakness, Mr. Wheeler."

"So it's true?" Mai said. "Marik has a card that does the job of a trap and a monster at the same time?"

"I guess so, Mai," said Yugi, just as worried. "But I'm more worried about how powerful its attack strength is! If this card is strong enough, well then this could be the end of Joey!"

"I'm afraid it only gets worse, Mr. Wheeler. For you triggered not one but THREE of my Apophis cards," Odion said as two more facedowns were shown, each spewing more purple smoke. "And now it's time to meet your doom. Come forth, my beasts!" The purple mist materialized into blue, serpent-like monsters.

"What am I gonna do?" Joey choked. "He can attack me with three monsters!"

"You can do this Joey, just be strong!" Yugi called.

"You're at the end of your rope, Mr. Wheeler. Now then, for someone who was so vocal before you seem to be very silent," Odion jested. "Perhaps you've realized that talk doesn't win duels. It takes skill and power, and as soon as my three creatures attack you'll see exactly what I mean! You're finished!

"Oh no!" Luna cried.

"C'mon Joey!" Leo cheered.

TLTLTLTLTLTTLTLTLTTLTL

To Be CONTINUED!

Yep, I AM most certainly going episode by episode.

This was just an idea by my friend and I…it's tentative if I'll actually continue. If you would like more, then just say so! Or if you'd like Leo and Luna to view any other duels in the tournament, I could probably write that up, too.

Ah, I love the 4kids version of Joey just as much as I like the Japanese one.

PUHHHHLLeeasssseee review!


	2. Joey vs Odion Pt 2

Alright! The duel of Joey vs. Odion continues. Luna and Leo find themselves becoming more engaged as it progresses.

TLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLT

Three half man, half snake specialized trap-monsters card dominated the field. They hissed at the opposing player, ready to tear apart enemy beasts and life points. Joey had less than half of his points. Due to the careful and planning combination of facedown cards, only nineteen hundred remained. In contrast was Odion's still untouched _four thousand_ life points. Indeed, it seemed like his defense was impenetrable.

Tristan tried to uplift his friend, "C'mon man!"

"Joey's life points are low, so he's gotta protect himself," Yugi expressed. "Marik may attack with his three serpents in his next turn and Joey _has_ to be ready!"

"Hey guys!" Serenity, Joey's younger sister, called attention. "What can Joey do to get rid of those gross things?"

"It's not easy," Mai granted. "The first thing that boy has to do is keep his life points safe."

Leo turned to his twin sister, alike in all aspects except for their gender, hairstyle, and personality. "Sis…this Joey person _does _win this duel, right?" he asked.

"Of course!" but then she placed her hand above her Signer Mark, something she often did while thinking. "We just don't know how. Guess we'll just have to continue watching."

"Your chances at victory have vanished," Odion boomed. "You'll never recover from the triple onslaught from my Embodiments of Aophois."

The side of Joey's mouth twitched to a small smirk. "Aw yeah? I'm gonna have to disagree with ya. So take this," he drew a card from his deck. "I play once card face down and change Alligator Sword from attack to defense mode."

Alligator Sword knelt the in the standard position for defense.

Odion interpreted, "That seems like a final desperate move to me."

"Well, we'll just see."

"Sometimes a person's strategy _involves_ monsters being in defense mode," Leo almost recited from his dueling textbook. "But I don't know about Joey."

"You're about to feel what real power can accomplish, Mr. Wheeler," Odion drew a card. He extended his arm in command, "Now, my three beasts, attack!"

Yugi, caring for his friend, shouted, "Joey, no!"

"Marik, you're in for a surprise: go, Scapegoat!" Joey revealed his face down card in triumph. "My scapegoats will absorb all three of your sneak attacks!"

"Wow—that card is out of commission," Luna exclaimed. "The card's four different color 'goats' could each take damage for one monster!"

"Yeah!" Tristan applauded.

The reveal of the face down prompted Mai to attest, "Joey's smarter than I thought."

"I see," Odion, however, did not appear fazed by the card. "Good move, but not good enough." From his hand he discarded one card.

Joey balked, "Eh? What's that?!"

Odion revealed one face down card, "Observe, my Magic Jammer!"

"No way!" Joey realized his plan had failed again.

"Bad news, guys," Mai announced. "I'm afraid that Marik's Magic Jammer trap card cancels out the effect of Joey's scapegoat magic card."

"That evil creep can't win this!" Tea said.

"It's time to say farewell to your furry friends and hello to my serpents!" Odion declared as the four scapegoats dissolved into mist.

Joey groaned, "And I'm toast!"

"Apophosis, Attack! Destroy Rocket Worriar and Alligator Sword!" Odion first yelled. The snake beings cleaved cleanly though the two defenders. "Now, attack his life points directly!"

" Ah!" Joey recoiled from the unexplainable holographic shock as his life points went down to two hundred.

Serenity gasped in dismay, "Joey!"

"Ha, ha, ha!" Odion allowed himself to laugh as the blonde teen fell to his knees.

Luna and Leo glanced at each other. That was pretty intense. Usually the effects of the holograms made some sort of phantom pain to the body, but nothing to exhaust a person so that he couldn't stand.

"Get up, pal!" Yugi pleaded.

Tristain was stunned, "He almost lost the rest of his life points!"

"You've lost all of your monsters, and now you're down to two hundred life points," Odion read out the facts, his expression stern as ever. "One more attack and it's _over_."

Joey appeared to be shacking, his face pale at the thought of defeated. His brown eyes were dull, staring at the platform floor.

"You can do this, Joey!" Yugi rooted. "You _promised_ to help me defeat Marik, and if you win this duel, he's finished!"

"The end's near. What a shame. It looks like you made it all the way to the Battle City Finals only to lose on your knees. You may as well stay down, because I'm about to take away the few life points you have left!" Odion advocated. "One more attack, Mr. Wheeler, and your tiny portion of life points will be gone!"

Tristan shouted, "Don't give up!"

"Tristain," Serenity looked for consolation. "Joey can still win this duel, right?"

"Sure he can," he said confidently.

"Well, if you say so," spoke Mai in a completely opposite tone.

Serenity inquired, "What do you mean?"

"Yeah, _Mai_," Tea said in a warning voice, as in 'that's his sister, go easy on her.'

"Look, guys, I want Joey to win, but the odds in the duel are completely against him," Mai tried to explain. "Face it Serenity, Marik's got all of his life points, and your brother's down to his final two hundred."

"But Mai…," Serenity's voice cracked.

"Well, there's a slim chance…but Joey might've lost hope," she softened. "Your brother needs a _serious_ confidence boost."

"I suggest forfeiting to avoid humiliation," Odion spoke again.

As if in a trance, Joey's hand move and hovered over his duel disk. It was unsteady there, but the potential for it to fall on his deck to surrender was imminent.

"But wait—he _wins, _right?" Luna asked her brother. "Or maybe _I _have my facts wrong." He only shrugged.

"No way!" Mai protested. "Don't you even _think_ about listening to this nut job!"

Joey apparently heard her voice, and he glanced in Mai's direction. Luna looked from Mai to Joey. It was curious how her voice broke his trance, while his other friends' voices could not reach.

Joey argued, "Why not?"

"Well is that how you got here? By giving up when the odds were against you?" Mai asked rhetorically. "Or did you keep on fighting until the very end? Just think about it."

"You gotta good point there," he turned to look back at his deck.

"Now that you're a battle city finalist, you're gonna throw it away?" Mai used the tough-love trick. "Then, I guess you'll always be a runner-up instead of a champion, and your sister will always remember how you wimped out."

After a moment, Joey seemed to gain some eagerness back, "Yeah…"

"Joey! You can still win!" Serenity added, ever hopeful.

"Serenity…"

"I don't know anyone stronger than you, and you insprire me every single day," she disclosed, tears forming in her eyes. "If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have gotten my sight back. Not because you paid for my surgery, but because you _gave me the courage_ to go through with it."

It was like some brother-sister bond that formed between them during the course of her mini-speech. Joey and Serenity were lost in similar memories. Leo and Luna felt a bit removed from their situation, because they still picked on each other, but it was heartwarming bond nonetheless.

"Then when it was over, you gave me the strength I needed to take off my bandages and face the world," she continued. "When everything was dark, you gave me light. You've _never_ given up before, and you shouldn't start today."

"I won't….," he nodded, finding his confidence. He then glared at Marik, "Bet _you _never had anyone who care about you like that, pal."

Surprisingly, Odion replied an almost inaudible, "I did…" Beyond those two words, he did not elaborate.

"Joey! You always pull though and I know you can beat him!" Serenity cheered.

Joey gave a thumbs up, "Thanks, sis!"

"Alright, then. Are you going to stay down on your knees and accept defeat?" Odion then laughed. "Or be a fool and prolong your suffering by making a move. I suggest you give in a face reality."

"I can't. I've come too far to give up now. Because if I quit, I'll be letting down everyone who ever believed in me. Not to mention letting myself down," Joey started. "It' true—I've been in tighter spots and I still pulled though. " He made a fist, and stood back up on his feet. "Hey Marik! Ya think I'm gonna lose to you?" he challenged. "Well, you better guess again, tough guy. I came to the finals for one reason—to win. And that's what I'm gonna do. Joey Wheeler's back!"

"Yeah!" Duke approved.

Yugi called, "Way to go!"

"Listen, I've defeated three of the toughest duelists out there to earn my wan onto this blimp, ya light bulb head," here Leo laughed at Joey's nicknames for Odion again. The important part was that Joey had enough spunk in him again to start calling people names. He was back in the game. "And I'm not gonna let your of your shiny skull stop me from finishing what I started!"

"That's right!" Serenity agreed.

Mai nodded, "You tell 'im."

"Why are they talking so much?" Leo asked here.

"This game, especially back then, I think, was psychological as much as it was _just a hobby," _Luna shared her thoughts. "The name calling, the suggestion to surrender, and other things like freaking someone out—they're also strategies that break the concentration of the opponent."

"And here I was thinking it was more complicated now with all the different types of cards we have," Leo admitted. "But I'd take our play-it-straight duels over psyche-breaking strategies any day. I mean, Joey there really looked _out of it_."

"Yeah, I don't know what hold Odion—or 'Marik'—has over them, but whatever it is, it really putting them on the edge," Luna supposed. "I think he had a mental advantage over them—like fear and hate, which breaks concentration—even before this duel began."

Leo nodded, "Too bad we can't see what was ticking them off."

"Thanks a lot, guys, and don't worry, I'll _win_ this!" Joey smiled, and then turned to Marik. "Let's go!"

"It seems that you're more foolish than I thought. Time for you to lose shamefully," Odion seemed disappointed at Joey's recovered energy. "So make your final, pathetic move."

For a brief moment, the 3D recording fizzed, becoming static-like. But then it was clear again, like the twins were standing and observing as if they were there.

"_Save the world_. The power is in your hands."

_Both _Leo and Luna jumped, turning to the source of the encouraging sentence someone uttered. Beside them was Yugi…but no, it couldn't be him. Somehow, his presence was different. It also could have been a trick of the simulation room, but he appeared some inches taller as well. There was a cool, regal, confidence in his eyes as he looked up at Joey, crossing his arms in a casual manner. Not to mention the voice was a bit deeper.

"Luna…what just happened?"

"…I don't know."

"You are seeing what I'm seeing, right?"

"Yeah, Leo."

"Hm…"

"Right," Joey said determinedly before turning back to Odion. "Your scheme end here. I'd promise Yugi that I'd help him stop you from achieve whatever_sick_ and _twisted_ goals that you and your rare hunters have, Marik. And I'm gonna keep that promise my knocking your bald cranium out of the finals, got it?"

"See, this is why we need history lessons other about duels," Luna complained. "Some much more background is needed to even attempt at a _try _to explain the meaning behind these statements."

"Some things are meant to be lost in history," Leo shrugged, receiving an 'hmph' from his sister.

Joey drew a card. "Here goes. Alright, let's see," he flipped the card between his fingers. "Hope you're ready to say goodbye to everything!"

Odion was unmoved, "Your false threats don't frighten me."

"I place two cards face down. Then, I summon Swordsman of Landstar in defense mode. Now back to you, sunshine."

"Yep, definitely back to himself now," Leo almost giggled. "Nothing says self confidence like calling people names."

"Be quite, you," Luna retorted. "I said already—_strategy._ And I think it's working—Odion over there is actually showing emotion."

It was true; the Rare Hunter appeared to be irately annoyed at Joey. "I hope you enjoyed your brief experience as a Battle City Finalist," he consented. "And now, my Embodiments of Apophis—triple attack!"

"Not so fast. Time to skin your snakes. So, go now!" Joey quickly countered, revealing his face down cards. "My foolish burial magic card lets me put one card my hand into your graveyard. And next I'm gonna reveal this—my trap card: Grave Robber!"

Odion seemed a bit puzzled, "Now you plan to rob my graveyard?"

"Wow, did you figure that all by yourself or did someone hand you a cheat sheet? Yes, Einstein, I'm gonna rob your grave!" Joey taunted. The Grave Robber snickered, twirling its shovel. "And look—I've taken back the card I've just put in there. Now, reveal Jinzo!"

"Hey, I have that card!" Leo chimed in.

The tall and thin bipedal monster arose from its card, its arms crossed in a commanding way, ready to judge the trap cards laid on the field.

"Oh no, he summoned an extremely powerful monster to the field!" Odion emitted in a slightly more concerned voice.

"That's right. I remembered that your snake creatures were a special breed of monsters that also happened to be trap cards," Joey said. "Your slimy reptiles have all the strengths of trap cards, but they have all the weaknesses, too."

"Weaknesses?!"

Leo smiled, "I know where this is going."

"Jinzo's special ability lets him destroy trap cards," he informed, receiving glare. "Jinzo—wipe out his serpents!" The monster's triple goggled eyes lit up, beaming and destroying each of the Apophises. "You know, I've won Jinzo in my very first battle city duel against a real opponent."

"Yeah, that's the way, Joey!" Mai brightened.

Serenity praised, "Good job!"

"Yes," the 'different' Yugi stated calmly and prideful. "Joey seems to be using what he's learned from his past victories."

"Now then, do you still think I'm an amateur or did you learn your lesson?" Joey inquired.

"I'm not though with you yet, Mr. Wheeler! I still have _all_ of my life points," Odion reminded.

"Not for long, Marik," Joey rejoined, pointing his finger at Odion. "See, with Jinzo by my side you and your trap cards are ancient history!"

Leo laughed, "Oohhh, I get it—ancient history—like Egyptian history."

"No, I don't think that pun was intended," Luna said. "I think he just said it as a normal boast."

"Whatever."

"Joey! You go!" Tea cheered.

"I knew that you'd pull though," Mai made a fist, pulling in it towards herself to symbolize accomplishment. "Now show 'im who's boss!"

"Yeah, Joey!" Luna cheered.

"Here we go—look out!…Eh?" Joey paused as he glanced at the card, apparently pleased. "Check it out, bald wonder—now I summon Battle Warrior in attack mode!" A blue-spandex'd humanoid monster appeared on the field. "But wait, 'cuz that's not all. I also switch my Swordsman of Landstar into attack mode!"

Odion frowned at the new predicament, preparing for what was to come.

"And then there's Jinzo! Attack his life points directly!" Joey ordered. Jinzo then concentrated purple, static light lightning and hurled the force at Odion.

Odion staggered as his life points dropped to sixteen hundred.

"And there's more where that came from!" Joey was on a roll. "Now—Battle Warrior and Swordsman of Lanstar—move in for a direct attack!"

"Gah!" Odion exclaimed as the creature cleaved though his thoracic cavity.

"Awesome!" Tea exclaimed. "He got Marik's life points down to four hundred!"

"It's a good thing I inspired him," Mai noted.

Leo and Luna high-fived each other.

Tristan acclaimed, "You da man, Joey—now, finish him off!"

"I knew it—you rock!" Serenity admired.

"Now, then. You don't feel so tough, do ya?" Joey puffed. "Maybe you should've protected yourself a little better."

"Attack me all you want—you can't win," Odion recovered enough to speak as if he were telling the absolute truth. Joey's eyes widened for an instant. "Remember, I still posses my Temple of the Kings card—a card that has ancient powers so strong it can't be stopped. Just wait until you experience its unparalleled force!"

"Your palace doesn't scare me!" Joey boasted. "I think I've already proven that Joey wheeler doesn't sit back and let people walk all over him. So bring it on! I can take whatever you got and dish it right back, buddy! So go ahead and make your move!"

"With great pleasure. Foolish boy," Odion said, drawing a card. He looked pleasantly surprised at the results.

"Let's go, potato head," Joey urged. "What's the hold up?"

Odion retorted, "_This_ should hold you up. I play my Swords of Revealing Light!"

"Hey, what's the deal, Marik?" Joey complained as great columnar swords surrounded his monsters.

"That's not good," Mai explained. "Marik's Swords of Revealing Light traps Joey's monsters for three whole turns."

Tea asked, "But Joey can still win, right?"

"I hope so," Mai consented. "But not attacking for three turns won't help."

"That's true, Mai. But Joey can also sacrifice his monsters to summon stronger ones," the different Yugi added. "And although Jinzo can't attack, his special ability does remain in effect. That means Marik still can't use his trap cards."

Leo and Luna looked over Yugi once again. Whenever he spoke, it was like they were compelled to listen. He just had some sort of cool and collected aura, which was effectively conveyed even in a recording. Luna looked at the golden pyramidal pendant that he wore.

It had some sort of Egyptian-eye symbol on its face, similar to the one on the wand-like object Odion had brandished at the beginning of the duel. Whatever could those objects be?

"Make your move," Odion said.

Joey drew his card. "Gladly. Here goes. I may not be able to attack, but I can still do this!" he swapped some cards off his duel disk. "I sacrifice my Battle Warrior in order to summon the Legendary Fisherman!" A tan, buff man with wild black hair riding a whale-shark-like sea creature appeared. He concluded, "And before I end my turn I switch all three of my monsters into defense mode."

"Prepare to lose!" Odion drew from his deck, and his eyes widened in shock upon viewing the card. For a moment, he looked paralyzed in surprise and fear.

"What do you suppose he has in his hand now?" Leo asked his sister. "I can't think of any reason why someone would be _shocked _at a card from their own deck. Surprised as drawing a card, sure, but that guy looks a bit fearful."

Luna nodded in agreement, but said nothing.

"Hey, Marik," Joey tapped his foot. "I'm getting tired of waiting around!"

Odion narrated, "First I place this card face down on the playing field."

"Jinzo's not attacking, so the card's not a trap," Leo deduced.

"Now prepare yourself, Mr. Wheeler…for the next card I play will be the instrument of destruction."

Back on the sidelines, Tea noticed Odion's behavior, "Something strange is going on up there, you guys. Check out Marik—he looks really freaked out!"

"Man, this is like the longest move in history," Joey said impatiently.

"Good moves take time, but how would you know that?" Odion regained his senses. "And now, I seal this card in the sacred arc of the temple!

"Whoop-de-doo," Joey mocked, but his expression showed a little more concern.

"You have no idea what I've just done by securing this all powerful card in my ancient sanctuary," he said slowly. "By sealing this _card of the gods_, I've also sealed your fate! That ends my turn."

Joey visibly tensed at this mention. Both Yugi and Mai perked up at this as well, with Yugi's expression turning to one of concern.

"Card of the gods…he must mean an Egyptian God Card!" Luna exclaimed.

Leo was just as baffled but still managed the snark comment, "Way to be subtle."

"Here I go," Joey drew from his deck. "Time to bring a monster form my graveyard with Monster Reborn! Bring back my Alligator Sword!" The monster reappeared on the field. "And Now I sacrifice my Alligator Sword and my Swordman of Lanstar so I can summon this—my Insect Queen!"

A monster with the torso that appeared to be female and the rest spider materialized.

"Look at that," Mai marveled. "Joey was able to summon every rare monster he won in the tournament all at once."

"Yes, Joey has come a long way since the Battle City Tournament began, Mai," Yugi agreed.

"The way they summon is so…prehistoric," Leo said. "No syncro-summons…"

"Leo, none of the cards we have now were even _thought _about back then," Luna smiled. "Just keep that in mind."

Joey pointed accusingly at Odion, "Look out, Marik—'cuz your Swords of Revealing Light will lose their power next turn! And when those lights go out, there'll be nothing holding my monsters back. And since you have nothing to protect you—you're _finished_."

"You think just because you were able to acquire a few strong monster you can defeat me," Odion frowned. "You're so naïve—for I'm about to summon a beast that you can't destroy!"

"What?!" Joey yelped at this sudden turn around.

"While your monsters were trapped in the Swords of Revealing Light," Odion revealed, "I was able to prepare for the arrival of my ancient creature."

Fear brushed Joey's face one again.

"And this all-powerful entity will serve as the _guardian_ of the sacred temple of the kings—protecting my ancient sanctuary and all the secrets that lie within," Odion sneered.

Joey seemed perplexed, his emotions too distracting to listen properly, "Say that again, with small words!"

"You can't win—once I play this: Cup of Sealed Soul! And I reveal my facedown card: Seal of Circuit," Odion scowled as he played his cards. Two magic cards appeared, each depicting some Egyptian-like artifact. "When these two magic cards are played along with Temple of the Kings, they are able to awaken a great creature from its ancient slumber. A being like none you've ever seen before!"

"What is it?" Joey was brave enough to ask.

"Patience, you're about to find out!" Odion told him off. "Please hear my call, guardian of the temple! Now! Mystical Beast of Circuit—I summon thee!" The three spell cards fused together, purple smoke emitting from the Cup of Sealed Soul.

Tristan worried, "I gotta bad feeling about this, you guys." The others could only watch as the game continued.

Suddenly, the monster materialized. A gigantic Scorpion revealed it ruby red exoskeleton. It lacked a head, but instead where it should have been was a mouth with menacing teeth and a yellow, encrypted eye.

"Ew," Luna recoiled.  
"Yeah, I know," Leo was just as surprised. "That was weird how a monster card was summoned from three magic cards. You don't see that every day."

"Much of his deck has that Egyptian-eye motif," Luna observed. "I didn't know people actually _themed _their decks like players always do now."

"That thing's tremendous!" Joey exclaimed. "What am I gonna do? Ah…"

"That creature is _minute_ compared to what lurks within my sacred temple," Odion added.

"Then tell me now," Joey demanded, almost hesitantly. "What monster _did_ you hid inside that arc, Marik?"

Odion paused before answering, "Within the sacred arc lays my Egyptian God Card! _The Winged Dragon of Ra_!"

The spectators gasped.

"So…is it the real one?" Leo asked Luna.

"I don't know. One of the Ishtars have it, but like I said, I can't remember," Luna replied. She then narrowed her eyes, "But if it is real—I hope Joey will be alright."

"Maybe the technology can detect if the cards are counterfeit," Leo suggested. "Was that system developed back then?"

"Used in non-holographic duels, quality counterfeits are virtually undetectable," Luna recalled. "But the duel disk detects the trace differences, and then the card isn't even summoned to the field. To answer your question, I don't know if Kaiba developed that technology back then."

Luna and Leo watched Joey as his expression changed from a curious worry to that one of dreadful anticipation. Both the twins knew an Egyptian God Card was a beast to be feared. Only three were said to be in existence, but all traces of them had been lost over the course of time. If this Ra was the real deal, they would be able to see its true, devastating power.

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Okay! Part Two Over—next chapter concludes this duel!

Thanks for all the feedback so far!

And, yes, Yusei will _definitely _appear to join our favorite turquoise-haired twins.

But I have a question for all of you: what's the next battle you want to view? A reviewer already made a suggestion for the Kaiba vs. Ishizu duel so far.

But anyways, please review, and vote!


	3. Joey vs Odion Pt 3

Part Three of Joey vs. Odion Duel! It's the final rounds, and the match is boiling down to some intense-ultra-omega dueling. Luna and Leo brace for the advent of what they _think _will be the god card. On the other hand, for Joey's sake, they hope it isn't the real one…

Read and Review!

TLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLT

"You don't scare me," Joey braved, despite his obvious apprehension. "I'll find a way to crush your oversized scorpion, Marik."

That was quite the boast, seeing as how a gigantic, menacing beast towered over him like the menacing predator it represented. As if in response to his boast, it clenched it many rows of jagged teeth.

"_That_ doesn't look good," Luna remarked.

"Sis, you look really _silly _with the captain obvious hat," replied her male counterpart Leo. Despite his quip, he understood what she really meant—that she was concerned for the duelist for which they were rooting.

"That would be quite an achievement, considering my Mystical Beast is more powerful than all three of your monsters, Mr. Wheeler," Odion returned, reminding him of the obvious difference in power. Clearly, he had the advantage on the field. "The only question is—which is the first one it should devour? And it's pointless for you to stop my ancient creature, because there's not a card in your deck powerful enough to do it."

Joey looked apprehensively at his deck. His expression gave away that what Odion said was true—that there wasn't a monster powerful enough to combat the scorpion's massive attack points.

"If he doesn't have a monster card stronger than that Mystical Beast, how can he destroy it?" Leo thought aloud.

"Probably some sort of spell-trap card combination?" Luna estimated. "He must have something…"

"If he could synchro summon, then maybe he'd be able to stop it."

"Yeah, easily," Luna acknowledged. "But he has to work with what he has."

"Back then it was hard to build a deck," Leo said, green-yellow eyes sparkling. "There weren't as many dealerships specializing in rare cards back then." His look turned to a blend of amusement and amazement. "He must have built most of that deck from _booster packs._"

Besides the twins, the other spectators of the duel shared their concerns. "There must be _some_ way he can fight back," Tea hoped.

Mai looked at Odion's monster, shrugging, "Don't ask me."

"Hey, Yugi?" Serenity turned to Yugi. "My brother can still win this, right?"

"Yes, even though Marik has the upper hand, Joey can still beat him," Yugi consoled, his eyes narrowed as he surveyed the playing field. "He just needs to find the weakness of Marik's mystical beast before it wipes out the rest of his life points."

"What about the card locked inside the arc?" Mai reminded. "The Winged Dragon of Ra."

Yugi paused, but did not elaborate, "Yes, that's Marik's Egyptian God Card…"

At the mention of the legendary card's name, both Leo and Luna glanced hesitantly at the ark at the top of the temple-designed field spell. Just knowing that its presence was close sent chills up their spines.

"Now, Mr. Wheeler, it's time for you to make your final move before my Mystical Beast annihilates you," once again, Odion spoke like he knew what was going to happen. "And thanks to my swords of revealing light, you still can't attack!"

"You're going down! So here's goes," Joey remained brave and drew from his deck. However, a look of utter disappointment crossed his face as he glanced at the card. He shifted the cards on the duel disk horizontally. "I'll keep all my monsters in defense mode and take my chances."

The Swords of Revealing Light's effect ended; no longer did the spell entrap Joey's monsters. Jinzo, Insect Queen, and Legendary Fishermen looked alleviated from the swords' pressure, but now before them was an even greater adversary.

"What's his strategy, Mai?" Tea asked.

"Right now all he can do is buy himself a little time," Mai said.

"A desperate move, and now, say goodbye. My beast can't be stopped. So feel his ancient fury: attack his Jinzo now!" Odion shouted. The mystical beast's claws hoisted up Jinzo by his skinny arms. Then, its great mouth bit down and ate the monster. To say the least, it was horrifying. "My mystical beast not only destroys the monster it attacks—it absorbs their power, making it even stronger!"

Joey was appalled as the giant mouth chomped down, "It can't be…"

"Oh, but it can," Odion said right back. His Mystical Beast changed from then, morphing into a more upright position, and growing fifty percent larger. "And half of Jinzo's attack power is added to my beast!"

Tea worried, "If it continues destroying Joey's monsters, then that means…"

"…Marik's attack strength will just continue to increase…," Mai continued

"Until it's too late," Yugi finished.

"Huh….That doesn't scare me," Joey bluffed, but a nervous sweat started to form on the side of his face. He drew a card, looked at it, and was let down this turn as well. "Alright, well it looks like I gotta pass. So just go."

"I will, the pleasure is all mine," Odion said. "Now Mystical Beast—attack his Insect Queen!"

Luna turned to Leo, "Hey, brother, don't you think this duel is a bit…_different_ from the way we duel?"

"Yeah, I do. The cards, for one," Leo replied. "But that's obvious."

"More like…they really have to _draw _for the cards they want," Luna brainstormed. She tried to annunciate what she was thinking, forming her phrases slowly. "Don't you ever think that whenever _we _duel…we tend to gets the cards we think we need?"

"Well, sometimes I don't get the cards I want to draw," Leo stopped for a moment, also pausing to think. He turned to his sister and looked her over. It was rare when the twins didn't understand each other, but right now was one of them.

What was she getting at? Sure, the better duelists out there always seemed to draw what they wanted, but Leo had always thought that was because they had better cards in general. Then again, there were times where he couldn't believe some of the _luck _other duelists had. His sister, for example. And Yusei. In fact...most of the people he knew seemed to always have the 'luck of the draw.' "Yeah, that's right. _These_ guys have to rely on luck. I mean, I can't remember the last time I ever saw someone pass a turn just because they didn't have a card to play."

The scorpion like beast chomped down on the Insect Queen, tearing at her digital flesh. The spectators watched, or didn't watch in the lighter people's cases, as the bug was devoured. Tristan visually gagged.

"By absorbing the power of your queen, my creature grows even stronger," Odion announced. "There's no stopping me, Mr. Wheeler—you're _finished_!"

"Joey, hand in there!" Tea shouted to Joey.

Mai agreed, "Yeah, this joker has nothing on you!"

Odion dismissed, "_Farewell_."

"My brother…," Serenity whispered, and started tearing up. "I can't watch; it's just too much!" She turned to leave, her red hair flowing effortlessly behind. She looked utterly distraught.

"Eh…? Serenity!" Joey called. "Come back! Don't leave me now!"

Serenity started, and then slowly turned to face her brother, surprised at his protest. She waited sympathetically for him to speak.

"I need ya. I can't get though this duel without you here," Joey confided, speaking in a genuine, caring voice. "You're my biggest inspiration, Serenity." He offered her a gentle smile.

Serenity bit her lip, "…Do you mean that?"

"Absolutely. Where do you think I get all my courage from?" When she gave no reply, Joey answered, "From you! You're my family! So you _gotta_ stay here and cheer me on—it's the only way I can win this thing!"

Serenity rubbed her tears away, "You got it, big brother!"

Her brother made a fist in accomplishment, a determined look on his face.

Tristan joined in the conversation, "C'mon Joey, don't quit now."

Mai added, "You can do it."

The twins simultaneously yelled, "Go get him!" They then looked at each other, and then burst out laughing. They were getting way too into this duel.

"You taking notes for our project?" Leo asked.

"Uh…no," Luna replied, but not in the least ashamed.

"Here I come!" Joey threatened Odion.

"Surrender! You're helpless against my Mystical Beast of Circuit!" Odion demanded. "No matter what you draw it will never match the power of my ancient creature! And once I destroy your monster, I'll wipe out the rest of your life points."

"I'm still in this, Marik," Joey reminded, drawing from his deck. Again, he looked immediately let down by his luck. He decided, "I'll leave my fisherman in defense mode and sit tight."

"Smart move," Odion observed. "But forfeiting this duel would have been an even smarter move!"

"Zip it, Marik! You may look creepy, but I'm not scared," Joey scowled. "And there's absolutely _no way_ I'll lose! My litter sister can finally see me duel, and I'll make sure she sees me win."

"Is that so, Mr. Wheeler? How very touching," Odion scrutinized. "But nothing can save you now." As if to fortify this statement, his beast let out a deep growl.

"Too bad. He's made some great comebacks, but I think his streak will finally end here on this blimp," Mai professed. "He's definitely come a long way since the last time I dueled him. Oh well, He did the best that he could."

"Wait, Mai. Look at Joey's eyes," Yugi pointed out.

Both Luna and Leo looked up at the blonde teenage duelist for which they were cheering. On the dueling platform, Joey flat out demanded of Odion, "Your turn." He seemed confident and secure in his position, his brown eyes strong and ready to take anything coming his way.

"You're right! They burn with a fire that I've never seen in him before!" Mai verbalized the twins' thoughts. "It's like he knows he's going to win. But_how_? I can't think of a move that can save him."

"Neither can I…at least not with these old-fashioned cards," Leo agreed.

Luna differed, murmuring, "There's always a way…" But she sounded doubtful. She scratched her head. "I don't get it. This duel is…there's just something up in the air. Do you feel it, brother?"

"Tension?" Leo suggested. "Yeah." He glanced behind him, at the real Marik Ishtar. The native Egyptian's eyes were narrowed, staring intensely at Odion. The edges of his mouth held the slightest twist into a barely-there smirk. He looked back at his sister, "Marik. They seem to really detest the guy."

Luna agreed, "Yeah."

"What matters is what Joey feels in his heart, Mai. His determination to beat Marik is very strong," Yugi explained, looking up determinedly at his best friend. "And so, Joey believes he's going to win the duel even though the likelihood of his victory over Marik is extremely small. He vowed to help me put an end to Marik's scheme and he's keeping his promise."

Mai questioned, "But how's Joey gonna stop this guy?"

"If he trusts himself and the heart of the cards, he'll find a way," Yugi reflected.

Leo gawked at the King-of-Games, "Heart of the…cards? That's all he has to say?"

Luna looked at the ridiculously hair-styled legendary duelist. "Heart of the cards," she murmured, and then turned to Leo. "I think _that's _the thing that_we duelists _now-a-days take for granted!"

Before Leo could say something back, the duel progressed.

"Let's go, Marik," Joey pestered. "If you're so confident you'll win this then make your move already!"

"Very well, then. Stand back as my Mystical Beast swallows your last line of defense," Odion consented. The monster chewed down on Joey's card. It was one think seeing it devour the other monster-like _monsters, _but seeing it eat a humanoid-fashioned creature was appalling. "Your Legendary Fisherman is gone! But don't worry—it's power won't be wasted—it will be absorbed by my Mystical Beast. It's your last turn before I destroy you. So good luck, you'll need it."

"Now it has almost six thousand attack points!" Luna exclaimed as the beast increased in size and power.

Joey drew again glancing at his card for one brief moment, he said, "Looks like I pass. So make your big move." It looked like he was getting used to the concept that his deck was not producing results.

Tristan yelled, "This is it!"

Serenity mourned, "Poor Joey…"

"He fought well," Mai breathed. "Only Marik fought even better."

"I'm not gonna lose," Joey defied. Everyone of the sidelines reacted to this comment in a shocked manner. He explained, a bit confused at his own behavior, "Can't explain how I know, but I got a strange feeling that I'm gonna win this duel! It's kinda like a voice inside my head. So go ahead and take your _best shot_, Marik."

"Oh, I will. And as soon as your Mystical Beast attack your life points—it's over!," Odion boomed. "It's time to lose now, so say goodbye to the Finals."

Joey interrupted, "Before you make your final attack and try to win this duel, I got something I wanna say to you."

Odion gave Joey a dubious look, but nevertheless allowed him to continue.

"What's he doing?" Leo whispered.

Luna surveyed Joey, eventually saying, "I don't know." It seemed to her like she didn't know a lot of what was going on.

"I'll _never_ forget when you controlled my mind and forced me to hurt my best friend in that crazy duel," Joey continued. "You didn't have the courage to face Yugi yourself—so you made me do your dirty work while you hid like a coward."

Odion's hazel eyes narrowed into spiteful slits, "I'm facing you now, aren't I?"

"Yeah…" Joey admitted, slowly.

"And look at the score," Odion continued glaring. "I'm destroying you in a duel _face to face_."

The blonde let out a small chuckle. "Well, it's funny you bring that up. See, ever since we started this duel, I had a weird feeling about you," Joey told him. "I can't put my finger on it, but you don't seem like the same guy that controlled my mind. That Marik's a regular _slime-ball_, but you played a really fair duel—one of the toughest ones I ever fought!"

Wind blew though the deck of the blimp. The spectators were silent as Joey continued his little speech.

"Just like I got a little voice that's deep inside me that tells me there's no way I'm gonna lose, I also got a voice that tells me you're not the rotten _snake_that took over my brain and forced me to duel Yugi," Joey pointed at Odion triumphantly. "And I'm sure of it: You're _not_ Marik! I always trust what I feel in my gut, and now it's telling me two things: you're _not_ who you're pretending to be, and you _won't_ win."

Odion furrowed his eyebrows, extremely displeased.

Mai asked doubtfully, "So, where's the real snake in the grass?"

Right beside Leo and Luna, Yugi seemed to come to a realization. He shot a look towards Marik, but then immediately looked back up at his friend. At this glance, Marik seemed to tense.

"That's the real Marik," Luna said. "But why did he want to hide his true name in the first place?"

Leo shrugged, "This duel is just making more questions than revealing the history of this tournament."

Odion once again revealed the golden scepter from his belt. This time, Joey seemed not as intimidated. "Enough of this!" he demanded. "Only the _real _Marik wields the power of the Millennium Rod! Think of that before you listen to those senseless voices inside of you, Mr. Wheeler." He put the Millennium Rod away and drew a card, "Now then, It's time for me to finish this duel. Mystical Beast Circuit! Attack his life points directly, and end this duel immediately!"

Joey braced for the onslaught.

Yugi narrowed his eyes, "This duel is over."

Serenity was startled, and clasped her hands over her mouth in horror.

"This is it, guys!" Mai watched as the monster lunged towards Joey.

Its great red claw plummeted towards the blonde duelist's throat, ready to tear away at the meager remaining life points. But right when it was about to complete the deed, it withdrew. Joey blinked, but seemed unfazed.

Tea said in surprise, "Hey, it stopped!"

"Hm? What's the deal? He's not attacking," Joey observed.

Duke asked, "Shouldn't Joey be a scorpion snack right about now?"

"I don't get it guys, why isn't Marik attacking Joey?" Tea basically restated Duke's question.

Yugi seemed to be thinking but offered the rest, "I'm not sure, but I have a bad feeling."

"Alright, Mr. Wheeler, prepare to experience an ancient power, like nothing you've ever seen before or will ever see again!" Odion, proclaimed, raising the Millennium Rod to the sky. "I _am_ Marik. And I will now play my Egyptian God Card to prove it!"

"Oh no!" Luna cried.

Joey's eyes widened in shock, "Didn't see _that_ coming…" _Now _he was scared.

"Oh no! Marik's is going to play the Winged Dragon of Ra!" Mai assumed.

"Now, in order to release my Egyptian God Card form the arc, I must sacrifice my Mystical Beast Circuit first!" Odion lectured. "Once this giant guardian of the temple is no more, I can release the most powerful creature that ever walked the earth from within the sacred arc."

Yugi could offer nothing but, "Be very careful, Joey!" He seemed torn at not being able to help.

Odion brandished the Millennium Rod at the golden arc. "Ancient one, here my call. I now offer up my Mystical Beast, along with half my life points to release thee," his monster fizzed from the field, and his life points decreased. He commanded, "Come forth, my Winged Dragon and reveal your awesome strength, in the name of the next great pharaoh: King Marik!"

Within the temple field spell, the arc that laid at the top of the alter glowed a gold color. The sound of ancient stone permeated though the night as air the cover slab came off. A card rose from the crypt, shining like a gem. Then, it shot up into the air in a beam of light.

Above the party, the sky churned. Dark clouds formed around the blimp in a ten mile radius, effectively blocking out the light of the stars and moon. The wind picked up, and static filled the air. Even the twins' hairs on their necks stood on end. They braced against the all too real holograms.

Yami breathed, "The...third card."

Joey looked around, noticing that the effects were not natural, "What's going on?"

Suddenly, lightning flashed dangerously though the sky, followed immediately by the clap of thunder.

"It's time…show yourself, my beast!" Odion yelled over the storm. "Let anyone who doubts my power feel the wrath of my mighty Winged Dragon of Ra!"

Then, the monster emerged, descending from the clouds. It penetrated through the storm clouds and the night, absorbing all light from the surround area. It was so radiant that it effectively made the rest of the world look dark and black by comparison. The Winged Dragon unfolded its giant wings, beating them once to command the surrounding air.

Its force even raised the temperature by a few degrees. Flames naturally emitted from its golden flesh, ready to ignite and destroy anything in its path.

Luna could not believe what she was beholding. "It's…amazing," she gasped. But something told her that _something _was not right about the creature.

Tristan exclaimed, "That thing looks _unstoppable_!"

"It is," Yugi agreed calmly.

"Behold the strongest of all the Egyptian God Monsters, a being like _no other_…and remember my Mystical Beasts had absorbed the power of your Jinzo, your Insect Queen, _and_ your Legendary Fisherman—this increased my monster's overall attack power to an enormous five thousand, eight hundred twenty five," Odion explained. "Now those attack points are transferred to my Winged Dragon of Ra! And once it attacks _you_, Mr. Wheeler, you'll wish you never entered this tournament. Brace yourself, because you're about to lose the rest of your life points." He laughed.

Joey shouted back, "So what are you waiting for? Take your best shot, baldy."

"He's crazy to want that thing to attack him!" Leo exclaimed.

Mai frowned, "Now what happens?"

"Yeah, Yugi, remember how your Egyptian God Card _injured_ Bakura?" Tea could not take her eyes off the God Card. "These things are dangerous."

"Well, I'm _waiting_," Joey urged. "Come and get me already."

Odion ignored Joey's impatient nature, "You time has run out, Mr. Wheeler."

Tristan repeated for the umpteenth time that duel, "Here it comes, guys."

Serenity couldn't help but also repeat, "Poor Joey."

"Dragon of Ra, attack his life points directly!" Odion shouted.

The group held their breath for the upcoming attack, but the Winged Dragon of Ra screeched. It did not make a move, but only to continue to overwhelm the deck with its almighty presence.

"Looks like your dragon's got other plans," Joey managed to say, relieved but still fearful.

Odion turned towards his creature, "_Obey me_, and attack my opponent right now!"

Tristan asked what was on everyone's mind, "Why isn't it attacking Joey?"

Leo and Luna glanced at each other, and then at Odion. He seemed hesitant and frightened. Something was going on within his mind—but whatever it was, it probably didn't mean well for Joey.

"It's a fake. That's why it doesn't work," Leo said. Luna silently agreed. Though a forgery, the god was still breathtaking to behold.

"What's happening?" Tea questioned.

Yugi told the bare minimum of his thoughts, "Something's gone wrong…"

Tristan shouted over another of Ra's growls, "It's like his card has got a mind of its own."

"It's _more_ than a card," Yugi told him.

The creature looked genuinely angry, almost furious.

Odion exclaimed in surprise, "Now what?!"

Ahs-like black particles arose around the beast. Slowly, it disappeared from the field, decaying like a phoenix at the end of its life. The particles dispersed into the air, sending waves of heated electric energy into the surroundings. Lightning surged forth in all directions.

"What's going on? And what's up with this storm?" Joey cried as more and more lightning flashed, some hitting the playing field, dispersing about the blimp. "Either this is the best Duel Monsters hologram I've ever seen, or we better take cover."

Yami yelled, "Joey!"

"Get down from there!" Serenity begged.

Lightly flashed down from the sky again. This time, it struck Odion, who collapsed onto the metal ground. The golden scepter he was holding—the Millennium Rod—disintegrated into small pieces of worthless metal.

"Whoa," Leo stammered.

Across the field, Joey started, "Hey, you okay?" He began to step towards his opponent, but then lightning struck right in front of him. "Ah!"

"Don't move!" Yugi warned.

Serenity pleaded, "Please be careful!"

A second in pure apprehension passed by as lightning flashed some more though the sky. It then stuck Joey. He immediately slumped to the floor, unconscious.

"_JOEY_!" Serenity screamed.

Tristan ran towards the stage, beginning to climb up, "Joey, are you okay?"

The announcer of the duel noticed, completely unfazed by the strange and dangerous weather, "Huh? Get down. There's a duel going on here."

"Whoa…I totally forgot there was a referee," Leo commented, too baffled to utter anything relevant at this point. The duel had taken a turn for the worse. What was going to happen now?

Tristan yelled at the announcer, "Open your eyes, both duelists are _out cold_!"

"Maybe so, but they both still have two hundred life points remaining," the mediator warned. "So according to battle city rules, this duel is still in progress. Now get off the playing field!"

Tristan scowled, "Forget about the rules, you stooge! My friend needs _help_ right away!" He looked as if he was going to knock the referee right off the blimp.

"_Enough_."

Leo, Luna, and the rest of the spectators turned towards the calm and strict voice. Kaiba, arms folded in apathetic interest, glared ruthlessly at each member of the 'audience.' After getting their attention, he looked back up at the stage, blue eyes squinting.

"I don't know where that lightning came from, but it had _nothing_ to do with the Kaiba Corporation duel disk system," he stated. "Whatever it may have seemed to be, this lightning storm is a _freak_ _act_ of nature and nothing more."

Luna instinctively touched her mark. Somehow, she didn't feel the storm was a coincidence. She gave a brief, sideways glance to her brother. Leo was gritting his teeth at Kaiba, clearly angry.

Mai protested, "Who cares what it _was_, just end this duel now!"

The announcer looked to the young company owner for guidance, "Should I declare the duel a double forfeit, disqualify them both?"

Kaiba shook his head once. "Not yet. Since the duelists are tied with two hundred life points each, we'll give them five minutes each," he dictated. "Whichever duelists get to his feet fist will be declared the winner and continue on in the finals."

Both Leo and Luna's jaws dropped in shock.

Tristan could barely believe what he was hearing either, "Wha…?"

"Kaiba, that's _ridiculous_!" Yugi shouted, shooting daggers at the former champion. Kaiba ignored the onslaught.

Mai, probably knowing better than to challenge the tournament coordinator, yelled at her unconscious friend, "Wake up Joey, you can do it!"

Tristan followed suit, "C'mon buddy!"

"Please Joey, snap out of it!" Tea cried.

"Whoa… check it out…," Leo noticed.

"What?" Luna inquired.

Instead of answering, Leo simply pointed behind them. Luna let out a sharp breath. The _real _Marik Ishtar was clutching—or clawing—at his head, like there was something inside of his mind. Whatever it was, it was having a strange, violent effect on the young man. Luna could almost see the temporal veins pulsing along the sides of his face as he struggled with the headache.

"Yeah, he doesn't look too good, does he?" Leo summed the situation up.

"Mm...," Luna agreed. Something strange, something unexplainable, something that wasn't recorded in history was happening. She fell silent.

Tristan rooted, "We're here for ya, Joey!"

Serenity looked as if she were about to cry, "C'mon big brother!"

"Ugh! Why don't they just go up there?!" Leo yelled at the holograms. "If someone is struck by lightning—they need _help, _who cares about winning?"

"No, Leo!" Luna grabbed her brother's arm. "Joey's friends must know how important this is to him—they would never jeopardize his chance at winning. Besides, I'm sure he'll be just fine."

"I _know _that he wins," Leo wrenched his arm free. "I'm just saying that this is ridiculous."

Luna frowned.

"Stand up now, Joey, I know you got what it takes to beat this joker!" Mai yelled again, her voice tired.

"They each have three more minutes. Once that time elapses, both duelists will be immediately disqualified from the Battle City Tournament Finals," the announcer declared stoically.

A minimal amount of movement came from Odion, seemingly regaining some of his conscious. "Ah…," he mumbled in pain, opening his eyes slowly. He was rising up, struggling to fight the looming unconsciousness.

Tea realized that Joey was close to losing, "Ah…no way!"

"…That's not good," Mai clenched a fist.

Tea didn't give up. "Joey!" she begged.

The announcer raised his arm up, ready to declare the victor, "And the winner is—"

At once, Odion fell cold to the ground in exhaustion, not moving another muscle.

The announcer slowly lowered his arm, "Hm…"

Yugi called to his friend, "You can still win, Joey!"

"C'mon Joey!" Leo cheered.

Luna glanced back at Marik—who was still clutching his head, breathing heavily. Beads of sweat lined his clammy face. He seemed to be fighting something…something with which he was obviously ashamed and disgusted.

Serenity bit her lip, "Please, get up, big brother!"

Tea and Mai shouted simultaneously, "Joey!"

"If neither duelist gets to his feet within the next _two_ minutes, both players will be disqualified from the finals," the referee reminded.

Tea tried again, "C'mon Joey, you _gotta_ wake up!"

Then, slowly—but surely—Joey started to stand. He was wobbly, as if in a trance, but he made it to his feet.

"No way," Leo gasped.

Suddenly, Joey opened his eyes, obvious disorientated and surprised.

Tristan exclaimed, "Hey look!"

Mai's eyes widened, "He's up!"

"You did it," Yugi let out a sigh of relief.

"That means you win the duel!" Serenity cried happily.

Joey swayed on his feet, the cold air rushing by threatening to blow him back down. "Hey guys…I'm lost," he glanced around the deck tiredly. "Can you fill me in please?"

"You're dueling in the finals," Tea notified, a look of worry mixed with disbelief on her face.

"And scared us, you dope!" Mai shouted, but not unkindly. "Don't _ever_ do that again!"

Joey recoiled from her attack, "I'm sorry!" He offered her a smile, to which she just turned away, embarrassed. Joey looked across the field at the knocked out Odion, still figuring out where he was. "…? Who's that guy?" Then, answering his own question, said, "Oh yeah, I remember. His card went nuts, and that's the last thing that I remember."

Announcer declared, "And so the winner of the duel is Joey Wheeler!"

Joey blinked in surprise, "So…I won?"

Yugi confirmed, "Yes you did."

For some reason, he didn't seem too happy, especially at the consequences of such a victory.

Serenity sighed in relief, "I knew you would."

"Sure you did," Leo commented. "Jeeze, these people are like 'he's not gonna win!' then 'you can do it!' and then 'will he win?' and then 'no, this can't be!' And finally, they're like 'I knew it all along he was going to win'." Leo braced for the punch he expected from his sister.

But it never came. Instead, she simply grabbed on quietly to her brother's arm, looking for comfort.

"That Marik…something's _happening_," she said, her voice shaky.

Leo glanced back at the foreigner. If it were possible, he looked even worse for wear, his fist white from clutching that strange golden wand.

Tristan shouted, running to hug his best friend Joey and not waiting for the platform to lower. "Alright! So, who's my main man?" he congratulated.

Joey brushed him aside, and walked unsteadily towards Odion as the field lowered to the deck. "Wait, I think the other guy's still hurt," he said calmly.

Yugi rushed towards them as Joey lifted up Odion.

Leo led Luna away from Marik.

"Please forgive me…I'm so sorry Joey…" he muttered hoarsely, his skin sunken in and eyes barely open.

Then the holograms shifted, fizzed and cut back to pristine, white and steel walls. Bits of light flashed on and off at the corners of the projected keyboard, and a menu screen with a list of duels sprang into their periphery.

_End of Recording, _the electronically feminine voice announced.

"Wh…_what?_!" Leo yelled at the computer.

Luna released her grip from her brother.

He said in dismay, "But it was just getting good!" He then calmed down a little. "Ah…yeah. That's right—it was just a recording. Man, why couldn't it have recorded more?"

"I think it did pretty good, considering it went for a few extra minutes before and after the duel started," Luna said quietly.

"But now we won't know what happened to Odion—did he survive?" Leo said. "And what in the world was Marik's problem? He looked like he was about to throw up his intestines."

Luna looked at the floor, quietly assorting her thoughts. "Throwing up is a natural reaction made to rid the body of something unsettling," she said. "But this looked more like there was something bad was trying to force out the good."

"Oh, and how do you know that? Where's your doctorate in psychology?"

Luna glared, "I just _feel _it, okay?!"

"Felt it though a simulation did you?" Leo shot back, a bit rougher than he'd like. He knew enough about the strange phenomena that occurred around his sister to really question her 'feelings.'

There was always the unexplainable happening around the Signers, for that matter. Thinking back to how it had to do something with dueling, he didn't doubt that she just had some inherent knowledge about it. Perhaps that instinct extended to the duels of the past. But how could something as early as the Kaiba Tournament have the supernatural effects that the Signers had now?

Now, this was something he _hated_. He wasn't a Signer—he didn't have a Mark. Sometimes, he felt so worthless to his sibling, like all he could do was cheer on fruitlessly for her victory. He wished that all that supernatural stuff disappeared, so that the duels could just simply be that—duels. He remembered his sister's duel with the professor—how it somehow transported her to the Spirits' world.

And when _that _whole ordeal was over, the Dark Signers started making more frequent appearances, casing chaos and tragedy. Leo shook his head. He had thought this project was going simply be a report on Duel Monsters, the _game._

But even in the past they apparently were so much more than games. There was something strange, something _dark _about its nature that really chilled Leo to his bone.

"Hey," he cooed. "Want to talk about it?"

But Luna was in her own thoughts at the moment.

For one thing, what exactly had happened when Odion summoned the fake Winged Dragon of Ra? Was the storm fake, or real? What were the strange, golden objects that both Marik and the King of Games held?

For the first question, it could have very well been an error in the technology. Perhaps a forgery card could be summoned; perhaps the technology back then couldn't detect the difference between a real and fake. But that didn't explain why the Winged Dragon was summoned _and then _went away.

The storm could have also been a "freak act of nature." However, Luna was sure that it had to do with Ra being played. The God was angry—a putrid, revolting imitation used in battle was an insult. Of this, Luna was sure. She always had a connection to the spirits that dwelled within the cards, and although she couldn't even imagine meeting such a God in the Spirit World, she knew that each spirit hated forgeries of their power.

So, then, what was the deal with the Millennium Rod and that similar fashioned pyramid hanging around Yugi's neck? They were mysterious, ominous, and ancient looking artifacts. Not knowing of these objects led Luna to realize that they were utterly _unknown _in their nature—and when something was unknown, it was feared.

But then she once again touched the Signer mark. True, she didn't know about her own mysterious happenings, but he felt her tattoo was a part of her, a natural calling that had helped saved the world. She tried to put it in the back of her mind.

"So…what duel's next?" She asked.

Realizing that she was now responding, he smiled, "You pick."

Just then, the small sigh of a piston was heard from inside the wall behind the twins. Both of them turned at the same time as the door opened. A familiar young, lean man walked though the entrance, his black and yellow 'crab'-styled hair not budging an inch with each stride he took to clear the distance between him and the twins.

He offered a friendly smile to them, the expression making the Facilty face mark crinkle like a snake. "I just had the feeling that you guys were here," he greeted.

"Yusei!" Luna immediately said.

Leo instead questioned, "Whoa…how did you know we were here again?"

Yusei paused before answering, a habit for which he was well known. He looked at his arm and then at Luna, "I was in the area…and kinda just felt like something was up with Luna."

Leo wanted to roll his eyes, "Wow. Now will _all of you _start showing up?"

"No, I told them I'd handle whatever's going on."

Leo looked away, finding more interest at the side wall. "We're just here for a school project—nothing more," he scoffed. "We don't need your help."

Yusei only stared silently at Leo, keeping his thoughts to himself.

"Leo!" Luna hissed, and then turned to her friend. "I just got spooked."

"Spooked?" Yusei inquired.

"Yeah, we were watching an old recording of a duel," Luna explained. She blushed, "And I got just a bit troubled."

Yusi nodded, "Hm." He looked at her brother silently. "So…how's the project going?"

Leo scratched the back of his head, "Well, we didn't take any notes so far. But I guess it didn't matter. We wanted to see the duel with the real Winged Dragon of Ra."

"Winged _Dragon_ of Ra?" Yusei repeated. But of course, anything with the word _dragon _in it got the Signer's attention.

"Yeah," Leo said slowly, noticing the sudden interest in Yusei. "Don't you know about it?"

"He didn't go to a dueling school," Luna reminded.

"Oh…sorry. Sometimes I forget about that part," Leo chucked sheepishly. "You're so good, it's hard to remember what you learned was from the streets."

"So, then, what about this dragon?" Yusei asked.

"Just the most powerful card in all of the game," Leo dropped casually. "A legend in itself—only one in existence, lost to the ages. The real one has only been used in _one_ tournament in all dueling history."

"And why's that?"

"The player than originally had it decided that it's power was too perilous to use in battle."

"_Perilous," _Yusei's eyebrows went up. He then tilted his head and read the projected screen, "The…Battle City Tournament? Is that the one?"

"Yep!" Luna brightened. Then she looked as if she had an idea. "Hey—if you don't know about it, why don't you come and watch with us?"

"Aw…but I thought we were only going to do one!" Leo complained.

Luna snickered, "Hey, we can _all _use the lesson." She winked.

"You just want to play teacher."

"Be quiet, you."

"Leo, Luna," Yusei said. "That sounds like a good idea. I'll need to know some of these strategies for the upcoming tournament."

The twins looked at each other and giggled.

"Don't bother with the strategies," Leo said. "It was _totally _different back then."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah—this was the first tournament to use duel disks," Luna recounted. "You won't recognize half the cards; or if you do, that's 'cause they're super rare or out of production. Or banned from play."

Luna smiled, "But you'll get to see the King of Games."

"Jack?" Yusei asked honestly. "But I thought he was 'king' up until I…?" he drifted off.

"No! _The _King of Games," Luna's eyes went all sparkly. "Yugi Moto."

"Oh boy," Leo sighed to his side, earning him a quizzical look from Yusei.

"And not to mention Seto Kaiba!" Luna went on.

"As in, Kaiba—the creator of the duel dome?" Yusei asked. Everyone knew about the Kaiba Corporation and their contribution to forming what was now the modern Duel Monsters sport.

"Uh-huh," Luna then perked up. "You'd like him—he has a dragon-themed deck."

Yusei took her suggestion as is, nodding. "Well, it might be interesting," Yusei shrugged. "But I take it that there are no duel runners?"

"Nope," both twins replied, to which Yusei looked the tiniest bit disappointed.

Leo scrolled though the screen. "How about we try out a duel with Kaiba, then?" he suggested. "Since both of you like dragons."

"What type does he have?"

"His trump card was the Blue Eyes White Dragon—and he had _three _of them," Luna recounted.

"How about the Ishizu Ishtar vs Seto Kaiba duel?" Leo said.

"He also has a God Card."

"There is more than one God Card?"

"Luna!"

"What, Leo?"

"The Ishizu vs Kaiba duel?"

"Oh, yeah. Why not? Put it on," Luna said.

Leo breathed out in annoyance. "Here goes nothing," he said, pushing the button.

TLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTL

Okay! I've leaving the poles up until Friday so people can vote on which duel they would like to see next chapter. Saturday, I plan to get right to work, and then it'll be up Sunday or Monday, Tuesday at the latest, guaranteed.

But omigosh YUSEI APPEARED! *dies* No, not really. ;) He's such a scatter-brain…or a thinker…or…dude, I'm going to have to think of a better word to describe him. But you all know what I mean, right? I always get the feeling that his mind's 'out there.' Almost like a kid, but not really. …meh…

And I'm pretty sure that what he learned was from the streets, and not in a duel academy (but correct me if I'm wrong). And all the info about the game seems to be directly taught to the students a dueling-specific academies, so that's why Yusei doesn't really know about dueling history.

So the Kaiba vs Ishizu one is next—and that will be about two chapters. And since I'm on break, you can expect the next chapter soon!

So, please review, comment, give suggestions, point out errors, vote for the next duel, etc.!


	4. Kaiba vs Ishizu Pt 1

Okay! I know in the last chapter I said to expect it within a few days—but I have an excuse, I really do! I _thought _that I uploaded it that Monday, but it didn't. But later that day, I was on my way to study abroad in Spain. Next thing I know when I get back, it's not uploaded! D:

(But I guess I did have the opportunity to check up on it via the World Wide Web…but I didn't. Sorry for the laziness. And I typically don't ever check my fanfiction email account, either. But lesson learned, no?)

So, R&R!

TLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTL

Kaiba vs Ishizu, Pt. 1

Once again, the chrome interior of the room sizzled and faded. Projections of light from all around the room condensed the images into 3D holograms. From the ground up the setting was reconstructed. When it was finished, they were left with a still, life size frame of the deck of a blimp.

Leo waved his hand to the side, signaling the computer to play the recording. Instantly, the temperature of the room changed, coinciding with the chill and windy air of the sky. It was darker out than the previous duel; some time had passed. The engines of the blimp were still rumbling beneath their feet, with some stained lurching as the metal beams struggled against the gusts.

It seems the freak storm from the duel between Joey Wheeler and Odion Ishtar had disappeared. Only a few, natural dark clouds lingered to block out some twinkling stars. As always, the city glowed a mile beneath them, traffic and night life reaching its high. Farther out, there was a lightless place that was the ocean.

"So this is Domino City," Yusei commented, a look of lost sadness on his face. He felt a gust come up from the port side of the aircraft. Its scent was definitely like the area around Neo Domino City, but there was something old and forgotten lingering in its traces.

"Yeah. Look at how small the buildings were," Luna said, staying back from the railing. Heights weren't her thing.

The buzz of people and bars diffused into white noise and then nothing to the spectators on the blimp. The only thing so high up that could be heard was the quite but relentless wind. The other people on the deck, the duelists of old and their friends, were quiet. They were not conversing amongst themselves nor sharing jokes.

Indeed, it seemed as if something dim had fallen over the spectators. They appeared more anxious and haggard, tired and hesitant. Between the duel they were now viewing and the previous one they saw, they had only skipped over one other duel. What happened to make the viewers appeared so shaken?

"It'd be neat if the simulation could extend to the city," Leo pointed to a very busy looking area of the city. "Or that we could interact with the people."

Yusei silently nodded in agreement.

"Uh…probably not with all people," Luna said, pointing to a figure standing two meters from their lookout.

"Whoa!" Leo exclaimed, jumping back in surprise.

Yusei naturally asked, "Who's that?"

"Marik Ishtar," Luna narrowed her eyes. "But he's changed."

For some reason, the difference between this Marik and the previous one reminded the twins of the change they saw in Yugi—though this one was more dramatic. It appeared as if a totally different personality had taken over.

"I'd say."

The young man the twins had previously seen in the last duel looked to have gained twenty pound of muscle along with a foot of height. Marik's hair had also grown out quite a bit, and it was now standing energetically on all angles. A glow emitted from the center of his forehead in the form of a third, Egyptian-styled eye.

"That definitely wasn't there before," Leo couldn't help but stair at Marik's newly acquired additional eye.

His arms were folded across his chest in a haughty way, a sly and confidently malicious smirk on his face. The air around him seemed to be filled with energetic hatred and amusement, patiently waiting for the duel to begin.

"If it's making you nervous, let's stand with the other group," Yusei suggested, noticing Luna and Leo's discomfort around Marik.

"Yeah, good idea," Luna breathed.

As they walked to the other side of the deck, Yusei glanced one last time a the off-sided Marik. For some reason, he too didn't feel too well in Marik's presence. How odd that a recording could convey such a feeling. "Well, explain to me who's who," he said when they encountered the other spectators.

"That one's Joey Wheeler, and that's his sister Serenity," Leo pointed subsequently. "Duke Devlin, Tristan Taylor, Tea Gardner, and Yugi Moto, King of Games."

"Ah, I see," Yusei glanced over them briefly before stopping on the champion of Duel Monsters. Yugi had a steady, observing and unwavering gaze at the moment. But his expression also held a quiet disgust, mostly directed at Marik. At the moment, he appeared to be deep in thought, seemingly oblivious to reality.

Somewhere inside Yusei he felt a touch of familiarity within Yugi. For some reason, he felt that this point was important, but he didn't want to bother the twins with something even he couldn't figure out for himself. In the end, Yusei remained silent.

The announcer shouted for all to hear, "As soon as the eighth duelist arrives, the next match of the battle city finals will begin."

Tristan complained, "Where is the eighth duelist, anyway?" He appeared to be ticked from some lingering anger of the previous duels.

"Let's just hope they're not working for Marik," Yugi said softly.

"That's for sure," Tristan agreed. "We have _enough_ people on bed rest already." When he mentioned this, the others became more melancholy. On Tristan's part, it probably wasn't the best thing to say.

"Bed rest? What do they mean by that?" Yusei asked the twins.

Leo was the first to respond, "Well, the last duel we witnessed, Odion Ishtar was K.O.'d and Joey over there was almost knocked out too—hit by lightning. Odion is the only one I know about that didn't seem to fully recover."

"But this is just a standard duel."

"Yusei," Luna said quietly. "We both know that there is so much more than what appears to be at work here." She paused. "The last duel involved a forgery of an Egyptian God."

Yusei frowned at this statement. Something all duelists had in common was an abhorrence of foul play. He knew that the creatures being summoned were anything but fake, but exactly what did a forgery have to do with people being knocked unconscious?

Noticing the furrowed look on his face, Luna said, "The real Egyptian God knew of its ill use and grew angry."

"So it injured _both _players as a result? Why not just the one who played wrongly?" Yusei stated, to which Luna said nothing. He had his own guess to the answer, anyways. Playing against the Dark Signers, he had enough of the all powerful 'Gods'—the Earthbound Immortals. From what he had seen, they weren't benevolent beings—they were judges of humanity, seemingly descended upon earth to condemn the innocent along with the wicked.

Yusei then stopped this line of thinking. The terrifying occurrences that _he_ had witnessed were not the will of the creatures themselves—they were being controlled. He found it odd that in the form of cards, in a seemingly docile sport, the mighty beings could be commanded. Their wills were summoned puppets of the naive and spiteful humans. Still, this didn't explain how the real 'God' card could determine a fake being played in its name and then smite both duelists.

"If duelist number eight does not arrive in the next five minutes, an automatic victory will be awarded to Seto Kaiba," the announcer called out once again.

Despite this warning, Kaiba loaded his deck into a duel disk. He seemed bent on crushing _someone_—even if the mystery duelist did not show.

As the young corporation leader headed towards the steps of the stage, Yugi came forward. "Kaiba, I must speak to you right away—"

"Save it, Yugi," Kaiba interrupted his request, sending an icy glare.

"_Kaiba_."

Kaiba stopped in his tracks, but only to mock the King of Games. "Let me guess. You want to request an emergency landed to get your friend to a hospital," he shot back. "You can _forget_ it. I told you already when your friend Bakura couldn't take it like a man. My tournament stops for _no_ _one_, got it!"

With that, he turned swiftly and headed to his position on the stage, arms folded in cold determination.

"Who's Bakura?" Yusei asked another question. It'd probably wouldn't be the last one, either.

"Another duelist in the finals, I suppose," Luna said, bringing up and information menu.

"Maybe he was the other injured person?" Leo thought aloud.

Luna shrugged, looking at the spectators. Then something occurred to her, "Hey—Mai Valentine isn't here."

"…Then, maybe _she _was also injured? The duel before this one was Mai vs. Marik," Leo read, glancing hesitantly at the insane looking Ishtar across the area. He still had an amused, psychotic smirk plastered on his face. "Too bad it doesn't say anything about the after effects of the duel."

"Are you two basically saying that with each subsequent duel, someone gets knocked out?" Yusei summarized. "Almost sounds like dueling on duel runners are much safer. But then again, our medical technology is more advanced."

Joey snarked, "Kaiba. The guy's got a heart of gold, right?"

"Right," Tristan said sarcastically. "His cheeks must hurt from smiling so much."

Leo laughed at their wit, earning him another glare from his twin sister.

"Well, Mr. _Sunshine's_ gonna advance to the next round if his opponent doesn't show," Joey pointed out the default rule.

As if his comment were a cue, the elevator doors to the sky deck opened with a swift hiss. Kaiba squinted his eyes in the cold, windy night to see his opponent. A gust swept though the stage, ruffling hair and coats of the spectators.

The announcer raised his arm. "It seems this duel will take place. Seto Kaiba will face—ah—he will face…um…"

It appeared as if he was not sure who the next opponent would be. The spectators couldn't really blame him, after all, the figure that stepped lightly from the elevator donned a tan veil that covered most of her face. The only visible part of her body was he woman's determined, hard eyes. Beyond that, her concealment could not hide her obvious beauty.

"_That's _Marik's sister?" Leo gawked. He looked from the insane-induced Marik to the exotic female in disbelief. "That's one weird family."

"Yeah, well, you have turquoise hair," Luna said.

"So do you."

Kaiba wasted no time insulting his opponent. "You got some nerve showing up late to duel me. Were you scared? Did the thought of facing a duelist as superior as myself make you second guess your own abilities?" The woman did not respond, only taking her place opposite of Kaiba. He, in turn, glared, "Who are you?"

She pulled down her veil, showing her identity. The revelation seemed to get a reaction of surprise mingled with contempt out of Kaiba, as well as some recognition from the other spectators. Around her neck was a golden choker fashioned like an Egyptian eye symbol. In the starlight, it gleamed with a foreboding mystery.

"Her necklace reminds me of the Millennium Rod," Luna said quietly, staring right into the 'eye' of the trinket. Like the other two Items she had seen, it emitted an aura of dark energy.

"Huh?" Yusei asked. "What about her necklace?"

"It's magic or something," Leo rolled his eyes. "Marik has some sort of scepter with the same symbol on it. Yugi Moto has that pyramid-thing, too."

Yusei glanced over at the King of Games, who was still staring steadily up at the woman, or more specifically, her necklace.

"Let's begin—tell me," the announcer started, directing his attention towards the mystery duelist. "What's your name?"

"You may call me Ishizu," she said calmly. "Ishizu Ishtar." There was a quickly glance on her part towards her brother. For a brief moment the smirk on his face disappeared, but the half smile resumed just as quickly.

"Yugi!" Tea exclaimed. "She's the woman you and I met at the Egyptian Exhibit!"

"You're right," Yugi acknowledged, but once again he was absorbed with his own thoughts, if not disrupted from them by Tea stating the obvious.

"This is quite a surprise," Kaiba said, a bit politely in contrast to the smirk on his face.

"Yes," Ishizu said slowly. "We meet again, Seto Kaiba."

"So you've come to win back Obelisk?"

"What I have come for is of greater importance. I've come here to save my brother."

"Brother?"

To the twins at least, something had happened to Marik to change him into the psychopathic looking man standing opposite of them. Whatever occurred, Ishizu apparently believed that the change could be reverted. To the spectators of the future, it was obvious that she meant Marik, but the whole 'saving' him seemed to fly over Kaiba's head. That, or he just did not want to believe what was really going on. For the audience of the past, it seems like they didn't see the possibility that the only three Egyptians in the tournament could all be siblings.

Ishizu closed her eyes and let out a short breath. "Yes. For the past five thousand years an Ishtar has stood guard over the pharaoh's tomb. Only Marik—"she drew in a breath. "He turned against us, and the evil within him is even stronger now. He is my brother."

"Hoh boy," Joey frowned. "_One_ Ishtar was bad enough. Who needs two?"

"She can't be any worse than _Marik_," Tristan guessed.

Duke agreed, "Well, for once, you're right."

"He didn't seem all that bad when he was watching Joey face Odion," Leo said.

"Whatever happened probably occurred within the next duel—when he faced Mai," Luna said. "And Mai's not here."

The three fell into silence.

Ishizu continued her discourse. "If you remember, Kaiba, my Millennium Necklace has the power to show me events that are yet to come," she drew her hand to the center of her collarbone where the ancient fashioned metal was fashioned around her neck. As if in response to her touch, it gleamed. "And right now it tells me you will lose this duel to me."

"The power to see into the future?" Yusei questioned aloud.

"Don't ask me," Leo shrugged.

Luna thought for a moment. In the previous duel, whenever the Millennium Rod was displayed, even though it was fake, it inspired great fear from the audience. She recalled Joey saying something about brainwashing or controlling as well. Perhaps that was the power of the Rod—to take over people's minds. And if Ishizu was to be believed, then hers granted the power of foresight.

Exactly how many Millennium whatevers were there? She hadn't heard of their existence in the future. Maybe they didn't exist in the future, or maybe she was too concerned with other future tribulations to actually care about the past.

Whatever the case, it came to Luna that she best brush up on the Dueling history for her own sake. It could be that the mysteries of the past could somehow help in solving her own mysteries of the present.

"They're magical?" Luna suggested.

Leo and Yusei only shrugged again.

Kaiba only snickered. "Enough with the Millennium Items! I don't believe in that _nonsense_—is that clear? And as for this duel—just because you were foolish enough to hand me Obelisk the Tormentor doesn't mean I won't use it to destroy you now. And I don't appreciate you using _my _tournament to solve your personal family issues. I planned this with one goal in mind." He sneered. "To reclaim my place as the number one duelist in the world."

Ishizu actually _sighed _in a way that suggested boredom with his attitude. "Have you forgotten that it was _my_ idea for you to organize the Battle City Tournament? To lure duelists like Marik."

Joey's jaw dropped, "Say what?"

"And my plan worked, for my brother is here. But the hardest task is yet to come. The evil within him must be stopped." When Ishizu spoke, Marik only smirked. "And this mission can only be accomplished with the help of the great pharaoh," she looked directly at Kaiba. "Which is precisely why _you_ needed to enter the tournament as well, for this ancient pharaoh dwells within Yugi's Millennium Puzzle."

"..._What?_" Leo asked.

Even Luna couldn't believe what she just heard. A _pharaoh_ inside an ancient artifact? But how? Having the souls of monsters in cards was one thing, but a _human's_ spirit inside an item seemed beyond reasoning. Not to mention the sheer ancientness if such a being were to exist. And what in the world did Kaiba have to do with a pharaoh being inside a puzzle?

"So, he's a pharaoh," Yusei looked over at Yugi Moto. Whilst Ishizu spoke, Yugi did not show any tinge on surprise on his face.

"I have to say that I'm kinda skeptical," Leo said. "But all of these things have to do with those Millennium Items." As an afterthought he added, "When are they going to start the game?"

Kaiba paused before responding. "How lame," he waved her speech off. "You went through all of that trouble just become of some Egyptian fairytale. I'm surrounded by superstitious nitwits!"

"Do not deny your heritage," Ishizu cautioned. "As I showed you before—you too can trace your origins to ancient Egypt."

Her words struck a chord within Kaiba, who readily became ticked off. "Alright—that is_ enough_. I know who I am—I'm a far better duelist than you," he pointed threateningly at her, narrowing his eyes. Ishizu stood still. "And I plan to win this tournament regardless of what you and your demented brother may believe," he shot a glare at Marik before reverting back his attention to Ishizu. "You made _two_ mistakes. The first was handing Obelisk to me, the second was expecting it back. That card is _mine_. And soon I'll possess the other two Egyptian God Cards. Then I'll have the world's most powerful deck and you can do a favor for me. Take your hocus-pocus _nonsense_ to someone else's tournament, because to me it's a colossal waste of time. Let's go, Roland—begin this duel _at once_!"

" Y-yes sir!" the announcer stuttered, raising his arm. "Begin now!"

"His name is Roland?" Luna was surprised that he actually had a name. But the game had begun, and her wondering ceased. The projecting machines lit up, their screens displaying an aurora of colors. The disks clicked into place on the duelists' wrists.

Beside the twins, Yusei shifted his weight. The duel was starting: now was the time to pick up on the strategies. He would learn just as much as they were going to from their project, if not a little more. Some tactics were timeless, no matter how old the cards were. He shot quick glances at Ishizu, Marik, and then finally at Yugi. Or maybe the strategies were more ancient than old…

Kaiba quickly drew from his deck. "I'll go first. I don't need a _magic trick_ to predict your demise," he declared, swapping a card onto his duel disk. "So I will summon the mighty Vorse Raider!" A mighty humanoid monster appeared, clad in middle-eastern styled clothes and carrying a double saber. "And now I'll place one card face down! That ends my turn."

If the face down card was an attempt to intimidate Ishizu, it didn't work. "Kaiba, the power of my Millennium Necklace shall predict your every more—and you _will_ suffer defeat." Without another word, she drew from her own deck. Before even looking at the card, she immediately played it on the field. "I summon Keldo." A bladed robotic monster was played in defense mode.

"Whoa—hey Yug—did you see that, man?" Joey said. "She didn't even look at that card!" He rubbed his chin, thinking.

"That's right Joey—her Millennium Necklace shows her events before they occur," Yugi stated as if it were common knowledge.

"So, this _isn't _the 'Heart of the Cards'?" Leo asked.

"Didn't Yugi _just _say it was the power of her necklace?" Luna reminded.

Yusei raised an eyebrow. "Maybe these Millennium Items are somehow tied to the Heart of the Cards anyways, or to the game itself."

"But how can that be?" Leo said. "The game was invented just around this time period we are viewing now. Their items have to date back to the golden ages of ancient Egypt." He paused. "Golden age. Get it? As in—"

"Yes, Leo, we understand," Luna sighed. "I think that we should have just paid more attention to our dueling history class."

"Well, that's the point of this project, right? You need the credit," Yusei said, bringing a finger to his lips. "Now let's just continue the duel."

Tea interpreted, "So she's gonna know everything that happens before it happens!"

Joey frowned. "Hey—hang on. This sounds just like that trick Espa Roba played no me!"

"Yes Joey, but I can assure you that _this _is not a trick," Yugi vouched. "Ishizu's power is very much real."

"He says it so casually like magic's a second nature," Yusei remarked. "How does he know if it is real or not?"

The twins shook their heads, not knowing the answer. But Yusei brought up a good point. Though Kaiba was the most skeptical, and Yugi's friends a bit doubtful, Yugi appeared to be the one who truly believed that magic was at work. On second thought—he acted not like he believed, but he _knew _of the force behind the games. And perhaps more importantly, he knew how to use that force.

"I now activate a powerful Magic card Michizure of Doom," Ishizu placed a card from her hand onto the field. It depicted an agonizing man being dragging into a grave. Kaiba tensed.

"What does that do?" Luna asked.

"I think it allows her to select two cards from his hand and discard them," Yusei said. "But Kaiba will be able to do the same to her hand."

Apparently not needing to look at Kaiba's hand, Ishizu continued apathetically, "I choose polymerization and Kaiser Glider."

The young corporation leader begrudgingly discarded said cards. "Show me your cards right now!" he demanded. "You'll regret having ever played that Magic Card." Ishizu did as told, flashing her hand towards Kaiba, who immediately made a decision. "Time for you to discard Revival Magic and Monster Reborn!"

"As you wish," she said indifferently, putting two cards into the Graveyard. "That ends my turn." She glanced hesitantly over at Marik.

Marik returned her glance with a mocking glare. "Your _brother_ has been getting in my way. So he must be banished. Say goodbye." Smirking, he raised a hand and waved as if swatting away a pest. Ishizu's eyes narrowed.

"Didn't you two say that Marik _was _Ishizu's brother?" Yusei backtracked.

"He _is _her brother," Luna affirmed.

"But he just said—"

"I don't know what's going on, okay?" Luna almost yelled. She looked from Yusei's confused and concerned face to the simulations of players on the field. "We're not supposed to be _viewing_ these duels anyway—they were under security, remember?" She glared at Leo, who shrugged it off. "All I know is that Marik is not who he used to be."

They were silent for a moment.

"History is a mystery," Yusei said. "We have to put the pieces together and solve this. I think it's safe to assume that even though you just began this as a school project, it way _more. _This is _our _history as well."

"Yusei…sometimes I really don't know what you're saying sometimes," Leo admitted.

"I understand completely," Luna said quietly. "Alright, let's just watch. We can figure this out later. For now, we have to gather information." She smiled, and the recording continued.

Kaiba swiftly drew a card. "Let's see which is stronger—your tricks or my skills. Vorce Raider, attack her Keldo now!" Ishizu's monster burst into tiny pixels. He smirked. "Well now, maybe your future isn't so bright. Perhaps if you weren't predicting the future and spent more time focusing on your _dueling_ you wouldn't be losing." He spat out the word 'losing' as if it were an abomination.

"You still don't understand, do you? I am aware of every twist and turn that will occur," she said confidently, but she was annoyed at having to explain herself once again. "I _know_ exactly what card you're going to play before you do, and I _know_ how you're going to _lose_."

Kaiba scowled. The term 'lose' was clearly something which irked him to a great extent. "I don't know what kind of imbecile you think I am, but your little mind games won't work on me, Ishizu," he said, smirking.

Joey commented, "I still think it's gonna be a tough duel. Ishizu may be able to see the future, but Kaiba's got the Egyptian God Card."

"Yeah, it doesn't matter if you can see what your opponent has in your hand either—you'd still have to have the strategy and cards to combat your opponent," Leo agreed with Joey.

"Or maybe the power of the God Card is something that just bypasses the power of the Millenium Items," Luna stipulated. "Whatever holds more influence—the God Cards or the Millenium Items—remains to be seen."

"How do we know if Kaiba doesn't have a Millenium Item for himself?" Yusei asked.

"Well, we haven't seen one so far," Leo said, rubbing his chin. "But Kaiba said he doesn't believe in the 'magic' behind them; so, why would he keep one around?"

Yusei shrugged, "Answering questions with questions is probably a bad form for your report."

"It's called a rhetorical question."

"Guys, please. Focus?" Luna asked, pointing to the duel.

"Now I'll place one more card face down on the field and end my turn," Kaiba said.

"Just as I expected," Ishizu pulled a card. "Now I'll summon Mudora." An Egyptian-like guard appeared half human and half beast, with hoofs as feet. Then she paused, closing her eyes.

"What's the hold up?"

"_Patience_, Kaiba."

"I used up my patience waiting for you to show up tonight. Now _go_ already," he demanded. "The less I have to hear about your _insane_ brother the better." Ishizu glared at Kaiba as if she were the one being called insane. Marik, on the other hand, acted as if he were given a compliment.

"How _dare_ you insult my family! You'll regret those words. I will now play the magic card sword of Dogra," she seethed. "It increases the attack strength of my Mudora by 500 points." The beast's power was now up to 2000. "Now attack his Vorce Raider!"

Kaiba gave the biggest you-fell-right-into-my-trap-card smirk yet. "Face down cards—go! You're _finished_! First up is my Shrink Card—this cuts my Vorce Raider's attack points in half. And as if that weren't enough, watch as my Crush Card destroys both monsters on the field—" A dense white mist emitted from his monster and enveloped hers. "—and destroys every powerful monster in your entire deck." He laughed.

"Aw man! Kaiba's move was brutal!" Joey gawked. "If I were Ishizu, I would've traded in the Millennium Necklace for a crystal ball or somethin'."

Kaiba let out a satisfied chuckle. "Now every monster in your deck with over 1500 attack points _goes to the Graveyard._"

"Yes, I know," she consented and proceeded to discard most of her deck.

"Looks like you're left with a deck of _worthless_ monsters with absolutely no threat to me."

"That card combo was pretty good," Yusei said. "But it wouldn't be really effective in today's duels."

"That's what Luna and I were talking about last duel," Leo said. "But it's all they had back then."

"I kinda like the simplicity. It was probably more accessible to the public, too. They didn't have to go do a school to learn all the rules," Luna defended.

"There was also a lot of talking back then, too," Yusei observed.

"It had a psychological assault on the opponent as much as strategy back in the day," Leo said. When Yusei gaved a puzzled look in response Leo pointed to his twin, "She said it, not me."

"According to my Millennium Necklace, I don't _need_ a powerful monster to defeat you," she replied, unfazed by Kaiba's taunts. "So watch as I stop you from attacking me for three whole turns. For now I play this: Swords of Revealing Light!" Shining blades descended on Kaiba's side of the field, inhibiting his monsters. "You're trapped."

"_Please_, enlighten me. If my future's bleak, why are _you_ stalling?" he demanded, annoyed at the idea of prolonging the duel any more than necessary.

"I'm _not_ stalling, Kaiba," she said. "_Fate_ dictates our moves—and it's your destiny to lose."

Kaiba looked as if he were about to laugh at the concept. "Really."

"_Really," _she closed her eyes and sighed. "And I can clearly envision your downfall as you can't help but destroy yourself." Her necklace gleamed, its eye motif peering straight at Kaiba.

"Make a note to research these Millennium Items on the side," Luna told Leo, who nodded in agreement.

"Well, I have a prediction of my own. Once your Swords of Revealing Light are gone, I'll crush you with your Egyptian God Card!" He pointed accusingly at her, "So while you count on fate to win this, I'll count on brute force!"

"Fine, I'll place one card face down," doing so made her hands empty. "Now make your move, it's only a matter of time."

Kaiba shrugged off her warning and drew. "Stand back—it's my move. And I summon Dark Gremlin in defense mode! And then I'll place this card face down." A green lizard with spikes appeared alongside an intimidating face down card.

"Very well. I shall draw one card, but I don't need it yet, so I shall pass." She exhaled softly, as if the whole notion of dueling was a tedious sport.

Leo groaned. "I hope this doesn't turn out to be like the last duel, where they just passed turns."

"_Patience_, Leo," Luna quoted Ishizu, trying to imitate her calm and knowing nature.

"Sometimes the best move _is _to pass," Yusei said, but he folded his arms. "Sometimes it might be the only move."

"How _sad_. You stopped me from attacking for three turns," Kaiba mocked her defense strategy. "Yet you _still_ can't destroy me; so much for your prediction, Ishizu."

"Actually, Kaiba, you shall draw the card that will lead you to your demise in two more turns," she informed like she was talking to a child.

Kaiba only laughed at her, making a fist at her in a sort of 'bring-it-on' way. "You're even more insane than I first thought. The only cards I'm going to draw are the cards that will lead to _your _own demise, Ishizu." His expression then turned serious with supremacy, mixed with a pride and awe of dueling that the pros of the future had. "Duel Monsters is about skills and power, not fairy dust and fate!"

"How poetic. He's got such a way with words," Tristain commented, not bothering to hide his sarcasm. "He's a regular William Shakespeare."

Joey scowled. "I gotta couple of _words_ for him, however," he glanced at Ishizu, "there's a lady present."

"All this talking is pointless—it's time for action," Kaiba drew a card, looking at the new addition to his hand. "Now… I'll save this card." And then he placed a card face down on the field.

Ishizu drew a card. "Make your move, for the end is near." She ended her turn without saying another word.

Kaiba, again, taunted her. "You _fascinate_ me—you speak so much about your victory," he was perplexed at her irrational behavior. It appeared that he couldn't even think about a duelist even thinking that they would win against him. "Yet other than stall for time with your Swords of Revealing Light, you've done absolutely _nothing_ to win this. And next turn, your swords will be gone, allowing me to strike back once and for all, Ishizu. So beware."

The edges of Ishizu's mouth gave a slight hint to a knowing smile. "I believe you'll pass," she said as he drew.

Kaiba glared at his card. "Yes," he spat. "You're right."

"I _know_," she said, tired of telling him that she apparently knew everything. Drawing a card she announced, "The time for you to make your final move has arrived, Kaiba."

Kaiba was angry at the lack of action. "For _three_ whole turns, you've failed to summon a _single_ monster. And now I highly doubt that I'm facing any sort of danger at all—so spare me the threats!"

As the bright lit swords disappeared she shrugged, "My swords are gone, you are free to attack."

Kaiba grinned evilly. "Well thank you for stating the obvious. And now—stand back!" He drew a card, smirking. "It's _over_. Before I play this card, Dark Gremlin, attack her life points now!"

Ishiuz was slashed laterally by the monster, cutting her life points down to 2400.

His smirk widened at her virtually induced pain. He clenched his hand in satisfaction. "So tell me, did you predict _that_ would happen to you? Dark Gremlin is the _least_ of your problems, Ishizu. Cuz I plan to destroy you with my Egyptian God Card now!"

Ishizu regained her composure, only a loose strand of hair telling her loss of life points a moment before. "Your future is decided," she stated a sad warning. "Use Obelisk and you'll be destroyed."

"Wrong!" Kaiba shouted, pointing dramatically at her. "You can't win. Nothing can save you from Obelisk's wrath. So don't resist it. For the end is here!" He then let out a boasting laugh, like he had already won the duel.

The duel abruptly pasued.

"Huh?" Leo more dumbly than he intended, only to find that Yusei was the one who paused the recording.

The duelist stood silent, his face looking at the fake ground beneath his feet.

"Yusei, what's wrong?" Luna asked with concern.

"Ishizu's words—_Fate dictates our moves…," _he began, the words ringing off the chamber walls. "Could it be true that everything is predetermined?"

Leo huffed. "There's no way for _us _to know that answer."

"Yet, here is a woman who had a device that allows her to answer that exact question," Yusei looked at the projection of Ishizu. "Better still—she claims the tool lets her read fate like a book."

"You don't really believe this, do you?" Leo asked, but then softened. "Look. If their powers are real, then these Millennium Items are something to _behold_. Something of which to be afraid."

"But what if the Necklace did have that sort of power? Would it have some sort of interference from the others in its presence, such as the Millennium Rod and Puzzle?" Luna asked, and looked at her arm, and then at Yusei. "Sometimes I feel the presence of the others though this design. Maybe the items were connected to each other in a similar way." She pointed at Marik, Ishizu, and Yugi. "Three are on this ship, in Domino City, of all places. They called for each other; much like our Marks brought all of _us _together, miles and miles away from their origin."

"If we're discussing these items, we have to ask an even more important question—more important than 'where did they come from?'" Leo stated, looking levelly at Yusei and Luna. "_Why_ were such Items built in the first place? For what reason would anyone want to construct such items of fearsome power and magic beyond their years?" He paused. "Which brings us back to the first, simpler question that Yusei asked. Why would anyone need to predict the future?"

"It's more powerful than that," Yusei checked. "She said not to 'predict' the future, but to _read _it."

Luna brought up a screen. "Well, she can't be _that _accurate—or maybe she just can't read. Ishizu loses this duel."

Yusei looked surprised, but also relieved. "So, fate doesn't dictate everything."

"Or maybe other Millennium Items, or the Egyptian Gods, can interfere with fate itself," Luna suggested. "Whatever the case, it looks like things aren't written in stone."

Leo added, "And even if it _is _written in stone, it can be erased—with the _Millennium Eraser_!"

Luna could have slapped her brother for cracking a joke at such an inappropriate time, but she found herself smiling. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Yusei was relaxing a bit more, too.

"Alright, alright. Let's continue the duel," she said.

TLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTL

Alright, one more chapter will conclude this duel. For what little storyline this fic has (as opposed to just 5D's characters offering comments), the best course of action would probably be to let the 5D's characters witness the Mai vs Marik duel.

But I do plan to write all of duels. Actually, I'm kinda looking forward to the Kaiba vs Yugi one, because I won't have to transcribe all the side characters' cheerleading in that duel. ;)

And remember: Zensoku zenshin daa! Also, please review/constructive criticism/point out mistakes!


	5. Kaiba vs Ishizu Pt 2

Hello, not gonna say much here cuz there's a longer note at the bottom. So sit back and enjoy! R&R!

TLTLTLTLTLTTLTL

Kaiba vs. Ishizu, Pt. 2

Yusei looked from the spectators to the players. In the audience, looks of interest to concern were shown on their faces. The King of Game had been mostly quiet during the duel, his gaze wavering from Ishizu to Kaiba, but usually settling with a glare of contempt on Marik. Marik stood idly on the other side of the blimp's deck, tending to his eternal smirk, confident as if he were immune to any duel or social justice.

The twins were busy fumbling among the records of the finals of the Battle City Tournament, sifting through the virtual files on the computer. Sometimes they would double tap a sheet with their fingers, copying the data onto the storage device on the duel disks to be accessed later. After all, they still had to write that report.

Though Yusei was assigned no such work, he still found it informative and exhilarating at watching such a turning point in dueling history. It was amazing to see that not the just the card had changed though time—but the overall strategies as well. The face-paced riding duels were quick and sent adrenaline. There was no time to idle chatter. In these duels, the contestants barked insults at each other, trying to break concentration, essentially trying to break the mind of the duelist behind the cards.

"Hey, I found a medical report from the KC blimp!" Leo cheered.

"Kaiba actually hired his own medical staff for his blimp?" Yusei was surprised. Then again, the rich always had quirky surprises. In his experience, billionaires happened to be excessively eccentric.

"Yeah, and it was a good call, too," Leo said, reading over the summary. Opening the file with an electronic beep, the contents displayed on a newly projected screen.

Luna peered over her brother's shoulder. "Ryou Bakura came in unconscious at 8:03pm. That coordinates with the time his duel ended. Next was Odion, around 9:12; Mai Valentine at 10:45. They all appear to have come in unconscious, among other symptoms." She pulled up her own screen. "In the database that lists the cards played in their duels, it states that an Egyptian God Card was used. Well, a fake one in Odion's case, but you get the point."

"This one here says Joey got KO'd too with an Egyptian God," Yusei pointed. "But on a different day." He looked at the blonde youth, his expression revealing that he had no idea that he would be unconscious in the next few days.

"Seems to me like there's a pattern," Luna said, looking up. "I bet Kaiba doesn't really understand what's really going on in addition to his technology. If he uses Obelisk against Ishizu, she'd be knocked out. But she wasn't checked into the medical ward."

"Guess that means Kaiba doesn't use Obelisk," Leo said. Luna nodded.

Yusei skimmed the card list from Ishizu and Kaiba's duel. "There-that one: the Blue Eyes White Dragon. I bet that's the _ace _card of his deck."

"Yusei, you always think the dragons are the ace card--," Leo began.

"I agree with Yusei—not just because I do _know _that the Blue Eyes is Kaiba's trump card, but for some other reason," Luna prepared to explain. "A duelist always has a monster that he or she is attached to. Furthermore, other duelists can _feel _that connection. It's a bond of deep trust and respect for the spirit of the card."

"…And you two can feel this bond about Kaiba and his dragon though a 3D recording?" Leo asked.

Luna said confidently, "Yes." Yusei nodded.

"Fine, fine. Let's just continue the duel," Leo waved his hand for the recording to start.

"Tell me, Ishizu, do you still think destiny is on your side or have you finally faced up to the undeniable truth that this duel is _mine_?" Kaiba jerked his thumb toward himself.

The native Egyptian's gaze never wavered from a stone glare.

"You know, I gotta hand it to her," Joey admired. "She's about to get stomped, but that Ishizu is keeping her cool."

Tristan's eyebrows furrowed, "Yeah, I'm starting to think that maybe she _does_ know something we don't."

"No way, that's just an act," Duke shot down the possibility.

Tea summed up, "Act or no act, she's in big trouble."

"Yeah," Joey approved. "Thanks to Kaiba, most of her monsters are in the graveyard now."

Almost out of context, Yugi let out a soft, "Oh, no." He was thinking deeply about _something_, this time glancing for the umpteenth time at Marik. Whatever he realized, he did not elaborate.

Kaiba reiterated, "Your most powerful monsters are in the graveyard and soon the rest of your cards will join them."

"I'm well aware of your plan, Kaiba."

Kaiba pointed at his face down card. "Ha! This is it. My face down card will finish you off. Virus Cannon! Wipe out ten magic cards in her deck." A mechanical arachnid appeared with a harpoon mimicking the tail of a bacteriophage aiming directly at Ishizu.

"What's this?" finally, Yugi tore his glare from Marik to watch the duel. As now Kaiba's strategy was just beginning, it was wise of him to start paying attention. On the other side of the deck, Marik chuckled at the blooming action.

The billionaire's lips cracked into an unhealthy grin. "I'm about to destroy your deck, or what's left of it." The Virus Cannon drew in energy and fired a spherical bust of energy, hitting her duel disk. She recoiled, instinctively touching her arm in pain. "Heh. And now, almost every magic card has been sent to the graveyard."

"That's a pretty decent card," Yusei said. "But now-a-days a card like that would just be the special effect of a monster."

"Ooh, that's good—I'm typing the comparisons down," Luna said, bringing up a blank document. "If anything else, this project can just be a compare and contrast essay instead of researching a specific card."

Leo shrugged, "Whatever." His sister always seemed to find _something _to do.

Ishizu's duel disk started smoking, singeing her wrist. If it caused any pain, she did not show it.

Nonetheless, Kaiba took pleasure from her loss. He cackled, "Hahaha! As if your deck wasn't _pathetic_ enough. First my Crush Card destroyed _all_ your high powered monsters, and then my cannon did the same thing to your Magic Cards. Your deck is no longer a threat; so, do you _still_ think I'm gonna lose?"

Ishizu discarded the greater portion of her deck into her Graveyard. "I do," she said, staring defiantly at him. "You played into my hands, Kaiba. Now, you sealed your own fate."

"_Nonsense_," Kaiba frowned. He probably expected a more negative response from her after crippling her deck. "I've heard enough of your false predictions."

The Millennium Necklace gleamed under the moonlight. "My predictions are quite real. And now you've fallen into my trap."

It took a moment for him to realize that he really might have made a mistake. "But…how? Your cards—they're gone!" he stuttered. His face twisted.

"Looks like he's in for it now," Leo said.

Ishizu allowed herself the slightest and briefest of smiles. "I still have my trap cards. Reveal Exchange of the Spirit!" The card flipped upward with the wave of her hand. "This card will be the beginning of your downward spiral of defeat, _Kaiba_. At the cost of one thousand life points, my trap replaces each of the cards of our decks with those in our graveyards."

Kaiba looked as if he could murder her where she stood. The duel disks blinked with the signal to discard cards; the Graveyard ready to chew up the monsters, magic, and traps.

"Wait, what just happened? I missed that bit," Luna looked up from her notes.

"Sometimes it's better to just listen and not take notes," Leo said, closing her document. He poked at her, "_Pay attention,_ why don'cha?"

Yugi explained to his friends, "Earlier, Kaiba sent almost every monster in Ishizu's deck right to the graveyard. Now she gets them all back, along with the magic cards she lost last turn." As he spoke, the Egyptian neatly exchanged her slight deck with the plethora in her discard pile. Clearly, she was content with the turn of events. "But Kaiba's not so lucky," Yugi continued. "He had only _six_ cards in his graveyard. Once he uses them up, his deck will be empty, and he'll lose the duel."

"Ohhh," Luna nodded at the summary. Her eyes sparkled with awe at the King of Games. "He sure knows his stuff, doesn't he?" she sighed.

"I believe it's _my_ turn, Kaiba."

Kaiba begrudgingly threw his deck into the Graveyard and replace his drawing pile with six cards. He growled, "Then _go_."

"Very well," she placed a card on the field in attack mode. "I summon Kelbek." It was some sort of robotic-type monster. Like the rest of her cards, it shared an Egyptian motif akin to the eyes on the Millennium Items.

"It looks like Kaiba's toast," Joey exclaimed. "There's no _way_ he can turn this around with just six cards."

"He still has that Egyptian God card in his hand, doesn't he? Wouldn't he win if he played that?" Tea suggested.

Joey folded his arms. "Look at _you _with all the answers."

"I'll place one card face down," Ishizu declared. "That ends my turn."

Kaiba seemed at a loss; strained, even. It was like one could see all of the remaining strategies being played out in his brain, desperately trying to come up with a winning scenario.

"I love seeing Kaiba squirm like this," Joey chuckled.

All of a sudden, the doors to the elevator opened. A long, black-haired child around the twins' age burst out. "Seto!" Mokuba cried.

Yugi exclaimed as he ran past, "Mokuba?"

The child ignored him, rushing straight to his elder brother. "What happened up there?"

The voice of his brother seemed to snap Kaiba out of his trance. "Nevermind. Have you finished translating that card yet?"

"Not quite yet." Mokuba shook his head, a bit disappointed in himself that he didn't fulfill his brother's expectations. "There's still one line left, Seto!"

Ishizu tapped her fingers on her cards. "Make your move. "

"When I'm ready!" Kaiba barked. His head seemed to be a bit cleared now. If anything, the presence of his younger brother reinvigorated him.

"You will pick virus cannon," she informed. Kaiba's hand paused, and then trembled as he reached for his six-card deck. "Take a look."

The expression on Kaiba's face revealed surprise and anxiety. No doubt, he had just drawn the card.

"It looks like the Millennium Necklace does have some sort of power," Luna concluded. "It's kind of frightening."

Leo looked at the other two Millennium Items on the deck. "And apparently, the Millennium Rod can control others," he said. "But what does the Item around Yugi's neck do?"

Luna slouched. "Dunno." She looked at Yusei, who had the expression that he was once again keeping his thoughts to himself. Why did he do that? His questions deserved to be asked like everyone else's. "Yusei, what are your thoughts on this?"

"Huh?" the duelist looked from her gaze on Ishizu's necklace back to the twins. He placed a hand on his chin, determining how to phrase what he was about to say. "I was just wondering how many other Items there are."

"…That's a really good question," Leo complimented.

"What you said before—about how all of us with the Marks finding each other—I was thinking that _if _there were additional Items, I'd bet that they were all on this blimp right now," he disclosed.

That was another troubling thought. Those more powerful Items could all be located in the same place…

Ishizu asked, "You have chosen virus cannon, correct? I'll take your silence as a yes. So go ahead and play your trap card right now. You can't escape what the future holds."

"I will _not_ listen to anymore of this nonsense! Activate virus cannon!" he commanded.

"My trap will send it straight to the graveyard. Activate Muko!" Ishizu countered. "I'm afraid that's the end of your cannon." Kaiba deposited the card into his graveyard. "And so it will be the end of you, Kaiba."

Mokuba bit his lip, "Oh, _no_!" He seemed utterly distraught at watching his only family member being hit by a counter attack.

Yugi said, "Oh, yes."

"Have you accepted the power of my Millennium Necklace yet? Or do you still deny that I have already foreseen your defeat?" It sounded as if she were almost taunting him, getting small revenge on having her powers mocked in the first place.

"_Make your move_," he said acidly.

"Kaiba's Dark Gremlin is standing there, doing nothing, when everyone _knows_ it's the stronger monster," Joey said. "So, why isn't Kaiba attacking?"

Yugi posed a possible explanation, "Maybe Kaiba doesn't _want_ to attack yet."

"Huh?" Joey blinked, a bit stupefied. "That doesn't sound like the Kaiba _I _know, Yug."

"Yes, well, Kaiba is in quite a tough situation here. He wants to summon his Egyptian god card, but he doesn't have enough monsters to sacrifice," Yugi explained. "_So_, he may be planning to sacrifice Ishizu's monsters instead."

"That's what I'd do," Yusei shifted his weight. "But does Kaiba have the card combination to do it is the real question."

Joey looked back up at their duel comprehensively."Oh, so _that's_ why he's not attacking her."

"And now I summon Zorga in attack mode!" Ishizu called a purple robed wraith the field, its cloak billowing in the high altitude winds.

At the appearance of a third creature, Kaiba cracked a smile: three monsters to be used as tribute.

Immediately, Yugi knew what he was planning. "Kaiba! Listen to me!" At his voice, Kaiba whipped his attention to Yugi. "You're in over your head," Yugi warned.

"Stay _out_ of this."

"This tournament of yours is more than just a game," Yugi half argued, half pleaded. "Have you _not_ seen the damage Marik has caused so far? The people he's harmed? You might be next. There is an ancient magic at work that _cannot_ be denied! And if you continue to ignore it, you're a fool."

"Hpmh," he disregarded Yugi, focusing back to his opponent. "Alright, let's go—make your move."

"You'll regret those words, Kaiba. Zorga—attack his Dark Gremlin with your Cape of Destruction!" The creature actually destroyed the imp with its…cape. "But that's not all: come back Kelbek-and attack his life points directly!"

"Grr-ugh!" Kaiba recoiled from the attack as his life points lowered to thirteen hundred fifty. Irritated, he stammered, "Are you done?" Now, there were only two monsters on the field.

Ishizu shook her head. "No, Kaiba. Next I'll place this card face down. And now I am done."

For a moment, Kaiba was back in his thoughts as he surveyed the face down card. Finally, he began his turn. "I hope you're ready. Ready to lose, that is! _I draw_!"

"Activate trap card, Muko!" Ishizu instantly activated her trap.

"My card—it goes straight to the graveyard!" he sputtered, clenching his fists.

Duke observed, "Looks like Kaiba's running pretty low on cards to me."

"Yeah," Joey concurred. "If he still wants to summon Obelisk, then he'd better move fast."

"You got that right, but is it possible?" Tristan asked.

Joey shrugged. "It's possible, but it seems like a long shot to me."

"Let's go, Seto! I know you can do this!" Mokuba was the only voice that cheered, his eyes starting to water. "There's no way you're gonna lose this, big brother! Use your secret weapon, now!"

If Kaiba heard his younger brother, he gave no acknowledgement. "I place this face down! Make your move."

"One more direct attack and he's history," Joey informed the other spectators. "So whatever facedown card he placed _better_ be strong."

Yusei looked from Kaiba to Ishizu, and then back to the face down card. "Kaiba's got this planned out," he said. "That card will determine the success of his next moves."

The twins looked at the older duelist. They knew better to question his judgments on the game.

"It's the begging of the end. Now I shall place one card face down," Ishizu announced. "Now I summon the monster, Agido." It appeared as a red sphere with golden arms and wings, a single eye at its center.

Agido was the last summon needed, and with three monsters now on the field, Kaiba wasted no time. "Kelbek, Agido, Zorga! These monsters are now in my control, and they will soon be sacrificed. Open face down card, _Soul_ _Exchange_!" Kaiba yelled the release on his trap.

Wind blew harshly through the field, billowing Kaiba's coattails and Ishizu's veil. Ishizu waited silently and showed no shock as her monsters disappeared from her side of the field. There was a hush of breath from the audience; they knew what was about to come. Kaiba raised a single, dark card mightily into the air. "And now I will summon my Egyptian God Card. Show yourself, _Obelisk the Tormentor_!"

A ripple to static pulsed though the arena. Within a millisecond, a pillar of blue light projected from the field into the sky, distorting the clouds above. Shining particles drifted down as silently as lightning, swirling and condensing. They formed another column of light that cascaded from the heavens. Watching the spectacle, Kaiba cackled, arms outstretched, "Hahaha!"

As he basked in the imposing light, the outline of an almighty creature materialized. A stifling pressure built around them—the kind that prevented water from boiling at its usual temperature.

Its tremendous form obscured the bow of the blimp as the projectors struggled to make out its form. It was humanoid in appearance, with greatly exaggerated muscles and blue skin as tough as titanium. Massive wings projects from it back, balancing its gigantic form. Its face showed prominent skull-like features and deep, red eyes set into an expression of horrid judgment.

A stifling pressure built around them—the kind that prevented water from boiling at its usual temperature. And the creature _exhaled_ as if awakening from a long slumber, steam emitting from between its teeth and out its massive nostrils.

The three spectators from the future all stared in awe at the tremendous creature. They had never seen something so arresting, so magnificent in their lives. This was the Tormentor, a beast fashioned after an ancient Egyptian God, a prosecutor and punisher of the mortal and monsters alike.

"This is a real God Card," Luna whispered. "Obelisk the Tormentor." The name was almost sacred.

For once, Leo had nothing to say. Either the visual effects of the past were better than the future's, or that God actually was alive.

"To command such a creature…," Yusei began. "No—for Obelisk to actually _obey _Seto Kaiba—that's the real impressive aspect."

From the silence of the rest of the viewers, Marik's comment could be heard, "Ah, things are getting interesting." He was not daunted at all by the God's presence.

Mokuba, finding his voice in the presence of such a creature rooted, "Alright! _Go_, bro!"

Joey took a step back, his eyes trained on the beast behind Kaiba. "Whoa! Kaiba scarified _Ishizu's_ monsters so he could summon his own."

"_Still_ think I'm going to lose?" Kaiba's smirk did not disappear. "Let's see which is stronger, your _necklace_ or my Egyptian God Card?"

"We shall find out," Ishizu said slowly, her face showing some apprehension.

"Counting on a piece of jewelry is pathetic! To win a duel takes skill and an extremely powerful deck," he preached. "You'll see that soon as I attack you with Obelisk the Tormentor and wipe out your life points."

There was a long delay before she responded. "Try as you may, there's no escape from the defeat that awaits you in your next move."

"Fat chance. You have no monsters left to protect you," he grinned. "Hmph. So spare me the _doom and gloom _speech and just surrender to me now.

"Yugi, can Ishizu be right about Kaiba losing even though he has an Egyptian god card on the field?" Tea asked. "Uh…Yugi?"

Ishizu waited. "Attack me, Kaiba."

Her attitude seemed to annoy him the most. "The end is here. No one can survive the fury of Obelisk," he boasted.

At this point, Marik turned on his heels, heading for the elevator. Before he could get five paces away, a glow emitted from the Millennium Rod clenched in his hand.

"Alright—" Kaiba lifted his hand.

The Rod shined even brighter than before.

Yugi looked warily at the Millennium Rod. "What's going on?"

"—Obelisk, att—," Kaiba stopped mid order, his muscles tensing and his face frozen in shock.

"Hey—check out Kaiba," Joey noticed.

Yugi narrowed his eyes. "For some reason he stopped his attack."

"Yeah, but why?" Joey spoke for the entire group.

Mokuba called to his brother. "You okay? Snap out of it bro!" But it was no use; Kaiba was paralyzed with confusion sprinkled with fear and awe, his eyes swiveling back and forth as if rapidly reading something.

Ishizu noticed his change, and her expression quickly shifted to one of distraught. She gasped, the grip on her cards loosening.

After what seemed like a minute, Kaiba almost stumbled forward. He caught himself before he fell, gripping his forehead.

"The Millennium Rod is affecting Kaiba," Yugi stated slowly, almost to himself.

But the duel was proceeding once again. Kaiba rapidly brought things up to speed. "Observe as I active my Magic Card, Silent Doom, which lets me summon a card from my Graveyard—Gadget Soldier in defense mode!"

Ishizu's expression of surprise did not change. Something totally unexpected had happened, but it was almost impossible to tell if she liked this change in events or not. Kaiba held up two fingers. "Before I can summon my Blue Eyes White Dragon, I must sacrifice two monsters." He pointed to Obelisk, "First, this!"

"Oh, no!" Ishizu's eyes widened.

"That's right—it's my Egyptian God Card!" Kaiba did not stutter. His move was made with the confidence as if _he_ had seen the future.

Marik scowled at the concept of sacrificing a God Card. "Ridiculous!"

Joey yelled in disbelief, "No _way,_ man!"

"What's he's thinking?" Tea gasped.

Even Yugi was surprised. "It can't be."

"_Hear me now_! I won't be controlled!" Kaiba yelled over the roar of the wind and blimp. "_I_ decide my future, so now I sacrifice my monsters: Obelisk and Gadget Soldier. I send you to the card graveyard!"

Ishizu was in shock. She placed a hand over her chest. The Gadget Soldier disappeared into the card afterlife. After a few moments of dissolving its massive frame, Obelisk vanished from the field as well.

"But Obelisk was a _God Card_. How could have easily wiped out her life points with it," Leo exclaimed, pausing the duel.

Yusei rubbed his chin. "If someone had a God Card, it'd be pretty obvious that it would be used in battle," he said. "She practically helped him summon the creature to the field. I think she was _planning _for him to attack with Obelisk—and her own counterattack would have to do with her face-down card."

Leo looked back to the duel. "That would have been one heck of a counter," he said. "Good thing he called off the attack at the last moment."

Luna shot a quick glance to Marik. "Or good thing the Millennium Rod brought him to his senses."

"Whatever he's planning to summon now will have to be powerful if he wants to finish the duel," Leo said.

"I think I have an idea of what he's going to summon," Luna said, a small smile forming and continued the recording.

"You're so quiet, _Ishizu_, where's your magic now?" he mocked. "Or have you realized that there's no such thing as destiny? Now observe as I summon my Blue Eyes! Show yourself!"

The special effect generators clicked into overdrive, their generators rumbling. A beautiful and pristine dragon emerged onto the field, letting out a roar that could no doubt be heard for a mile around. Its silver scales glistened white under the stars, seemingly emitting its own fluorescence too. It cast its sapphire eyes on Kaiba's opponent, baring its fangs at the being who threatened its master.

Ishizu's whisper was just barely audible. She was astonished at the beast that hovered behind Kaiba. "So somehow Kaiba was able to change the future by summoning his Blue Eyes White Dragon."

"But how? What did he see?" Marik demanded, clenching his Millennium Rod and staring daggers at the billionaire.

"'What did he see'?" Luna repeated, but the contestants continued talking, interrupting her thoughts.

"Ishizu, if you could foresee all my moves, how did Blue Eyes surprise you? Unless, of course, you're nothing but a _fake_ as I suspected," Kaiba said, his smirk was gone. He was more disappointed than angry. Ishizu just offered a grim, but satisfied, smile. For some reason, she did not mind being accused of hypocrisy.

"Time to finish you off! _Blue Eyes White Dragon_—attack!" The dragon charged its energy, gathering particles of white light into its massive jaws. "Wipe out her life points with White Lightning Attack! _Farewell_," Kaiba bid.

The Blue Eyes fired an enormous force at Ishizu, sending shockwaves of electricity though the small stage. Luna and Leo could practically feel the prickle of energy though the recording. The audience held their breath as the arena was enveloped in pure white light. Two seconds later, the field cleared. Ishizu was left beaten but standing as her life points dropped to zero. She straightened, brushing some invisible dust off her dress as if nothing had happened. "Victory is mine—that's _it_," Kaiba concluded.

The Announcer found his breath, "The winner of this duel is Seto Kaiba!"

"Alright!" Mokuba cried, jumping up and down. "I knew that you were gonna win this duel all along, big brother."

Ishizu let out a breath of air. She appeared relieved, even serene, like something had reassured her. "Very impressive, Kaiba. You managed to overcome the fate my Millennium Necklace showed me," she congratulated. "Your past is the key to your power."

Kaiba gave her a dubious look. "I've won this duel for the same reasons I'll win the tournament—my superior skills and intelligence."

Ishizu ignored his boasting. "Perhaps, but you taught me a valuable lesson about the nature of destiny, and for that I am grateful, Kaiba." She nodded to herself, her necklace sparkling one last time. "You have given me hope for changing the future of my brother."

For a moment, her face showed a tinge of sadness and regret, but it was gone within the next moment. "I may have lost the duel, but in the process I have gained something of far greater importance: the realization that if I am to win this battle for my brother's spirit—I'll need your help, Kaiba," she looked gratefully at him. "Thank you, for I know you will help me save my brother."

"Hmph. Believe whatever you need to, Ishizu," he said, not bothering to boast or insult anymore. The platform lowered. "But I'm only in this for myself." He walked off the stage.

"Alright, Seto! What an awesome duel!" Mokuba praised, rushing towards Kaiba. His dark eyes sparkled in admiration. On Kaiba's part, there was a slight pause in his stride when his little brother gave his appreciation, too brief to truly point out. "You really are the best duelist I know!"

As Kaiba made his way towards the elevators, Joey quipped, "Here comes Johnny sunshine."

Kaiba ignored the comment, but stopped beside Yugi. "If I was you, I'd start preparing for our duel now, Yugi," it sounded more of a threat than advice.

"I will." There was no malice in his response, only the small feeling that he was indeed looking forward to a duel.

"Good luck—you'll need it…Hmph," the billionaire strode away, his younger brother jogging to keep up.

The computer spoke: _End of recording._

The gusty deck faded back to the rectangular and state of the art simulation room. The various circuits, screens, and cameras could now be seen as if they were in some hi-tech studio rather than a digital library.

The three were silent for a moment, relishing the past they had witnessed. Only Leo was busy typing into his personal document as if trying to write down the many questions formulating in his head. Yusei was the first to speak. "The Blue Eyes White Dragon is a very good card." The statement sounded useless even to his ears, but at least it could be a start to a conversation.

"That was his ace," Luna notified. "It's said that every battle he was in, the Blue Eyes was summoned. It's part of the set of cards that Maximillion Pegasus first created when making the game."

"Interesting how he went out of his way to summon it," Leo said. "I mean _c'mon_—sacrificing an Egyptian God Card? Even Marik was wacked out about that. Even more so than he already was."

Yusei chucked, but then turned serious. "I'll go by what I said earlier: he probably called Ishizu's facedown as a trap."

Luna bit her lip. "_I _think it had to do with whatever was going on with Marik's Millennium Rod."

"I'm actually starting to think that, too," Yusei disclosed. "Didn't even Yugi Moto say something about that rod affecting Kaiba?"

"Yeah, you're right."

Yusei looked at the profile of Ishizu Ishtar. It was a basic photo of her staring steadily at the camera, taken for the Battle City Tournament. She was wearing the Millennium Necklace, but _its _gaze seemed timeless even in photograph. "So, she was wrong about fate," he said softly. He looked at the Luna. "Kaiba was able to overcome her predictions. So what does that really _mean_?"

The girl looked at the Ishtar's profile and then decided to bring up the small tournament information on Yugi, Kaiba, and Marik. "It could mean a couple of different things," she said. "Obviously—she could be just _wrong _about fate being dictated. Or, from what we saw of the Millennium Rod, somehow the Items can change that fate. Another option is that something can interfere with the Items, obscuring what she 'saw' though her necklace."

Yusei looked at Kaiba, whose picture depicted him intently frowning as if to say 'what a waste of time.' He then looked at Marik's photo. It showed a half smiling young man with an ambitious, almost mysterious look on his face. The strange thing was, Marik looked _normal. _"How come he looks so different now?"

"Oh, you mean…the hair and the eye on his forehead?" Luna said, stifling an awkward smile. "Marik didn't always look as weird as you just saw him. When we saw the Joey versus Odion duel, he was still 'normal.' We skipped a duel and went to the one we just saw—and somehow Marik had changed."

"Kinda like how we saw Yugi Moto change," Leo added. "That Yugi in the picture isn't like the duelist you just saw, either."

"You're right," Yusei noticed. Yugi's photo from the archives showed an adolescent that looked a lot younger for his age, complete with bright eyes and a warm smile. The other Yugi in the recording looked similar, but there was something more on edge and _cool _in his look.

Yugi Moto, Seto Kaiba, and Marik Ishtar: people all connected with the Millennium Items, and all three holding their own God Cards. What did it take for someone to wield such a card? How could one even command it, if the entity had its own mind? What sort of person would be willing to use it against another if it could cause a coma?

Marik, first of all, appeared to know the most of the God Cards. In fact, he treated them more reverently than Yusei would for his own Stardust Dragon. No doubt, he would not hesitate to use the power against another, even if it meant harming someone.

Kaiba apparently had received his own God Card from Ishizu, putting it immediately to good use with research and winning his own spot in the tournament finals. Same as Marik, it did not appear to give two cares about the well being of his opponent if on the wrong side of a God Card. Another observation Yusei made was that Obelisk had practically reflected Kaiba's demeanor when summoned. It had been itching to make a blow at Ishizu, and had appeared to be readying its punch before Kaiba even called out his move. Then, at the moment of truth, it had withdrawn _immediately_ on Kaiba's orders.

Yugi, on the other hand, did not give the feeling that he would willingly use a God Card against a friend. At the same time, he appeared determining on winning. Yusei wondered what would happen if these two opposing forces happened to be in the same duel.

"It's said that there were more secrets in the King of Game's deck and strategy than the total amount of cards in the game," Luna said.

Yusei raised an eyebrow. "Nice analogy, but I'm not sure if that makes sense."

"This game doesn't make sense," Leo mumbled.

"That's 'cuz you don't win all the time," Luna crossed. "And _what _are you typing, anyway? I doubt that you're writing notes down."

A pause. "You're right about the notes thing," he said, trying to ignore her comment on his dueling skills. "But I'm just doing research."

"On what?" Yusei asked.

"Remember when we learned that Ishizu had given Kaiba Obelisk? Well, Ishizu came into this country right around _this _time," he pointed to a block of days on a calendar. "And _this _is the weekend of the Battle City Tournament, when Obelisk was first used."

"They could have met _way _before then," Luna pointed out.

"But he didn't use Obelisk in Pegasus' tournament," Leo said, bringing up a screen with a newspaper scan. The cover depicted an article an old Domino City Museum's exhibit about Ancient Egypt.

Luna's eyes widened. "It newspaper says something about Ishizu Ishtar!"

"Yeah, and this video shows her inviting Seto Kaiba to the exhibit personally," Leo said. "My guess—_that _is when he received the card."

"And then he arranged the tournament to draw in the other God Cards," Yusei said, looking at the newspaper. A small black and white photograph showed blurry old tablets in glass cases. He narrowed his eyes. "Can't you bring up any better pictures of the exhibit?"

Leo shook his head. "Sorry."

Luna paced. "So Kaiba got Obelisk though Ishizu. Yugi has Sleifer, and we know he won that in one of his previous duels. Marik must have the Winged Dragon of Ra." She looked at the duelists' profiles. "They all made their way to Domino City along with the Millennium Items. But why?"

There was a silence in the room.

"Something about a Pharaoh?...Living in the Millennium Puzzle?" Leo tried, letting out a laugh. "At least the Items look Egyptian enough. And the God Cards all have to do with Egypt. The Ishtars are from Egypt as well."

"Hey, Leo, do you remember something in our dueling history class about the origin of the game being in Egypt?" Luna asked.

"Are you _kidding _me?" Leo stifled a laugh. "I mean, I don't really remember anything from that class, but are you really suggesting that the Ancient Egyptians played Duel Monsters?"

Luna frowned, folding her arms. "_Nevermind," _she whipped her head to the side.

"Luna, sorry. It just sounds kind of silly."

"But everything is pointing to Egypt!" she said. "Ishizu even suggested that there was a pharaoh _living _inside the Puzzle."

"If that's true, Luna, then why would he be in the Puzzle? What would be the _point _of entombing a soul into an object for five thousand years?" Leo asked. "What would be the _purpose_ of connecting these supposedly powerful items to a game?"

"Maybe they weren't used for a game in the first place."

"Then _what_, Luna, might they have been used for?"

"If not a game, then...then," She fell silent, thinking.

Yusei stepped in between the siblings. "These questions can't be answered as of yet." Yusei looked at the golden, upside-down pyramid strapped around Yugi Moto's neck. Everything around the Battle City period, although a cardinal point in Duel Monster history, was shrouded in mystery. The God Cards were never used beyond the tournament, their legends slowly breaking down to whispers of a myth. The other contestants, their injuries, their triumphs, all quietly covered up.

But now they were all conveniently compiled in the _Neo _Domino City virtual library. He gave Leo a stern look, one that could have passed for a responsible adult.

"Alright, alright," the boy threw his hands up, turning to his sister. "Sorry about putting you on the spot. So, even if I did believe in an ages old spirit in an ancient artifact, that still begs the question of why?"

"Leo, the _last _question of an investigation is the 'why', dummy," she said.

Yusei said, "If something's not used for a game, then it's used in all _intensive_ purposes."

"So, they might have been used to help people?" Leo said, and then quickly added, "If they _do _have power, that is. That, or to harm people."

"That's usually the case with inventions anyway," Yusei said. "For entertainment _or_ military, and I suppose the preservation of life."

"Okay, okay. So the point of their invention was for either leisure or war, like any _other _invention," Leo shrugged. "But my real question was about that Pharaoh guy sticking around for so long."

"Yeah, yeah…that's the tough one," Luna sighed, beginning to review what she knew. "So Marik has some sort of grudge against this Pharaoh…something about keeping a Pharaoh's or tomb's secrets?" Yusei and Leo both nodded, urging her to continue. "And for some reason, he and Ishizu _knew _that the same Pharaoh was still around, despite the fact that five thousand years had come and gone."

"Don't forget about Kaiba—he's also tied into this, somehow," Leo reminded. He looked at the newspaper article. "Whatever he was associated with, he probably was told his purpose in the Egyptian showcasing at the museum."

"I don't think we'll be able to answer that 'why' question until we view some more duels," Yusei said.

"I doubt that we'll be able to answer it even with watching the entire Finals," Leo said, rubbing his head. "'Cuz this is making my brain hurt."

"Leo, your brain doesn't have any pain receptors for itself."

"You know what I mean," Leo said. "It's just hard to believe."

"We've seen many unbelievable things before, so this isn't too difficult to understand," Yusei said. "These duels are something serious under the guise of game. I have a feeling that whatever's in the tournament is using the abilities of these Millennium Items to their fullest. The Items are being used the way they were meant to be—not in a game, but in a duel where the stakes are higher than one's title or pride."

"So maybe it's best to say that this is not just a coincidence that the God Cards and these Items made their way onto the same ship?" Leo asked.

"Perhaps," Luna said. "On the other hand, Ishizu stated that she suggested Kaiba coordinate this Tournament in the first place. Would the God Cards and Items find their way without this intervention? I don't think. For one thing, these God Cards were meant to be a secret. Why use them in a broadcasted tournament if she could just gather them secretly? She could have just used her Necklace-thing."

"That just implies that she wasn't able to obtain the cards back from Marik all on her own, even with an Item," Leo countered. "As for your first question, we can never know."

The twins glared at each other.

"Destiny—that's what this is," Yusei described. "Things will happen only at the appropriate time, right when all the players have come together. I bet that the Items and God Cards were always meant to wind up in the same place, eventually. Ishizu, with the power of the Millennium Necklace, might have _pushed _fate for that to occur more rapidly."

"Anyways, I guess the next duel will be the one that we skipped," Luna clicked through the archives. "Here it is: Mai Valentine versus Marik Ishtar." She hesitated before selecting the title. "_This _is the battle that has the Winged Dragon of Ra: the most enigmatic and powerful creature the game has ever known." She held her breath. "You ready?"

Yusei and Leo nodded, and she pressed 'enter' on the light keyboard to start the recording.

TLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTLTL

~longer A/N~

I tried to put a little problem-solving for the 5D's characters and how they view all the Egyptian 'hocus-pocus.' I'm still tentative on adding in how Yusei feels about the mysticism going on, especially how he relates to his own problems with the supernatural. Why? Because this author is not too sure about the explanation of the 'Earthbound Immortals' and ancient Incans…and how they tie into card games. But if any of you have suggestions, just review or pm me (or on anything else as well).

Hoh boy, their introduction to the Shadow Realm is next, huh? Might be difficult, cuz as I remember from the original:

Monsters= manifestation of inner psyche extracted into real life by Millennium Items; essentially a form of spirit

Shadow Realm= where the monsters/spirits lie...where bad things are, and what the 'evilness' of humans end up forming

Which basically makes me confused about this whole 'Netherworld'/Hell thing. And whatever Luna's Ancient Fairy Dragon rules over. And now we have those new 5D villains that imply-- bottom line here, guys—that God really likes one hell of a strategy game. So yeah, I'm not going to dabble too much into the mythos of 5Ds, but there will be some association in the chapters to come.

Also, I might cut out some cheerleading dialogue because it's a bit tedious.

Also also, regarding the Shadow Duel…yes, the blimp-camera will have managed to record it. Why? Because then the 5D's character wouldn't be able to witness the duel, and this story would lose half its duels.

Well, please review! Comments, corrections, and constructive criticism appreciated!

Next time: Mai v. Marik, Pt. 1! What's this? Shadow Realm used as plot device to turn this into a proper cross-over fic?


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